Yes I would like to do more, sadly in my area there is a definite lack of support groups.  So I'm left to find people through friends, Facebook and forums like this one.  I try to find people in my immediate area but end up doing some traveling sometimes too (for instance I leave on a trip Monday to go spend most of the week hanging out with one of our sisters from this very forum).  Also now that I'm a little more connected with people, when I travel for work I usually send a shout out to find any of my acquaintances that live in the area I'll be in to see if anyone wants to meet up.

Right now there are a few trans friends I have across the North American continent that I consider very close friends.  Unfortunately I only have a couple loose friends that are local enough to see on a regular basis. 

As far as setting out to find trans friends, it's not because I don't want to associate with CIS people anymore.  The reason I specifically would like some trans friends is definitely the support aspect.  People who have direct experience and understand what we're going through.  People who can share tips with me and who I can also share advice with as well.  Most of all, people I can feel safe with and not have to worry that I'm being secretly judged for being trans (they might judge me for other reasons    )

I have a couple local trans friends, a transguy in his late teens (I know his mother) and a trans girl a bit younger than me, we rarely bring up trans issues or discussions, we just see ourselves as regular friends and yak about all sorts of things.

Both my wife and I enjoy interacting with others in the transgender as well as the broader LGBTQ community. While most of our friends and social contacts are CIS, we are steadily and purposefully adding to our transgender network.

When we first began our journey into our new world just 2 or 3 years ago we sought out support groups to help us learn and avoid so many of the problems that strain and sometimes destroy relationships. We were a pair of old lady newbies to this world and learned a lot from many and during that time have made many dear friends. We grew quickly and now have enough experiences under our belts to be able to help others in their journeys. Sometimes it is talking to and perhaps mentoring young searchers, other times it is just spending time and as Michelle G says "just see ourselves as regular friends and yak about all sorts of things". Tomorrow evening we will be gathering with two other couples we love dearly, we will be sharing a meal and just yak away the evening. Trans topics may show up but probably not, it just feels good spending time with folks that "Understand".

Anne

Quote from: Anne Blake on July 14, 2017, 02:23:18 PM
We grew quickly and now have enough experiences under our belts to be able to help others in their journeys. Sometimes it is talking to and perhaps mentoring young searchers, other times it is just spending time and as Michelle G says "just see ourselves as regular friends and yak about all sorts of things".

I am one of those "others" who has been helped immensely by Anne and her wife. I live in a location where I don't dare reveal to anyone my trans nature. My occasional forays back to her side of the world are the only opportunities I have for direct interaction. Anne and her wife, plus another mutual friend from the same region have played essential roles in my recent journey. I am blessed to have such relationships.

Another Anne.


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