Without a doubt, Susan's Place is the premier site for the LGBTQ community.  The staff here, under the direction of @Susan  has done a terrific job in keeping the Forums a friendly and safe place for all of us to share our joys with others and to be supported when things are not going so joyfully for us.
 
We even have a Youth Talk section of the Forums that is heavily moderated that the younger members can safely go to and share with other members in their own age group.

I can't thank all the staff here enough for the wonderful job that they are doing to make this a place that all of us want come to often.

I have met some awesome people here and I love to make new friends and share my positive thoughts to encourage them wherever they are in their journey....   and with all of us together sharing and supporting in a respectful and cordial setting, Susan's Place is indeed the "Place" that we belong... with our new found friends.

Hugs and well wishes,
Danielle

A merit of this site is that you can get advice or comment from people insightful on various gender issues. Especially, my long friend here, Lyric, has always been helpful. Eleven years has passed since my first introduction here. Many people have left with or without farewell, and some people still are active here.

barbie~~

Hello everyone

This site really must be the best transgender website on the planet.

After a long time just reading, I joined in January as I was about to start HRT.

There is so much information on the Wiki and more on the Links.

There are so many different aspects to the transgender subject from scientific to political to religious to HRT to transition in general to Transgender Talk in general.

We are all one big family here. We debate, we listen, we share, we help, we encourage. And so much is returned in understanding, kindness and compassion.

May this site continue for many years to come.

Hugs to you all

Pamela

Ashley, you look amazing and confident! Great pics!

Quote from: barbie on July 19, 2018, 03:14:06 PMMany people have left with or without farewell, and some people still are active here.

        barbie is member #4613 newest member (today) == 60,468 
Such comings and goings! Surely many just fall by the wayside, stop visiting but then again there are those who actively disassociate, for "stealth" reasons perhaps?  Political/social disagreements? I am very out but not FT transitioned have stuck to the middle road and learned to just let "all the rest" go . . .

Suppose one could say am "living the dream" rather than "walking the walk"!

"Are you listening to me Neo? Or are you looking at the woman in the red dress? . . . Susan's (lol) is another training program designed to teach you one thing. If you are not one of us you are one of them!" ( youtube.com/watch?v=Hw88MWoqenQ )

The "Zion Dance Party" cis machines are attacking! ( youtube.com/watch?v=Ep2FFbFKriE )

I remember being so scared when the dysphoria bug hit me again at age 53 in 2014.  I had spent a lifetime suppressing it and being a generally depressed individual.  I had gotten divorced a few years earlier after 23 years of marriage.  My mother had passed away in 2011.  My step-dad died in September of 2014.  We had never gone through my mothers things after her death and so we were faced with clearing out their entire house.  It was going through my mothers things, the smell and the feel of her clothing that set off my dysphoria.  I took some of her things and brought them home.  The feelings I had so long repressed came flooding out.  For the first time ever I didn't try to put those feelings on  ice.  Instead I sought knowledge about what I was feeling.

In late 2014 I joined Susan's.  Back then I was known as Jessie Ann (I shut that account down but decided to come back at a later time as I Am Jess).  It was here that I began to see that I wasn't a freak or a sinner or an aberration.   Here I discovered that I was me, a MTF transsexual.  I thought there was no way that I could possibly transition.  I was a 6'2" 240 pound dude who would be an ugly guy in a dress at best. 

Reading through the forums and seeing the effects of HRT and the stories of others soon gave me HOPE that maybe, just maybe I was wrong about myself.  The longer I was here the more confidence I gained.  It was through a former member here that I discovered the therapist who helped me change my life.  It was through here that I saw that the impossible is actually possible.  It was here that I gained the strength to make the most important decision of my life, the decision that I needed to transition.

Seeing all of the stories of others gave me the strength to move forward with my life as a woman.   The reason I came back to this site was because I owed it to those brave souls who had come here before me and shown me that there was light at the end of the tunnel and that transition wasn't the end of the world.  I owe those coming behind me the same inspiration I got from those who came before me. 

I have come a long way since 2014.  I was wrong about so many things and this site and the people here helped me become Jess. 

Thank you Ashley, my beautiful soul sister, for your constant reminders to everyone that being trans is a beautiful thing and that we can be who we were meant to be.  Everyone who posts, even if it is a small update or word of encouragement is helping someone somewhere.  This site is about community and helping others.  Even though I am now almost 4 years down the road in my journey, I still find valuable advice or information here.  So thank you to everyone who contributes to the discussions.   

@I Am Jess  @tgirlamc  - Jess & Ashley, your continued support and participation is an inspiration for many members and anonymous visitors who come to Susan's Place every day of every week!

I realize that for many of the transgender people who are successfully living their lives that they may feel that coming to Susans all the time is making a big deal of their transgender status rather than moving past it and living their life just as them, but there are so many visitors who come here who are confused, anxious, nervous and in fear that really need people who have journeyed a long enough way through this to give them courage and hope.

Thank you,

Sonja.

Quote from: Kiera on August 28, 2018, 11:37:20 AM
        barbie is member #4613 newest member (today) == 60,468 
Such comings and goings! Surely many just fall by the wayside, stop visiting but then again there are those who actively disassociate, for "stealth" reasons perhaps?  Political/social disagreements? I am very out but not FT transitioned have stuck to the middle road and learned to just let "all the rest" go . . .

Suppose one could say am "living the dream" rather than "walking the walk"!

"Are you listening to me Neo? Or are you looking at the woman in the red dress? . . . Susan's (lol) is another training program designed to teach you one thing. If you are not one of us you are one of them!" ( youtube.com/watch?v=Hw88MWoqenQ )

The "Zion Dance Party" cis machines are attacking! ( youtube.com/watch?v=Ep2FFbFKriE )

Thanks, Kiera, for letting me know the detailed numbers even I did not know.

I also have noticed that some people suddenly join this forum to get help for feminine voice surgery. After getting some help, most of them just disappeared.

Yes. Kiera, you are also a long-term member of Susan's.

barbie~~

Quote from: I Am Jess on August 28, 2018, 04:23:18 PM
Thank you Ashley, my beautiful soul sister, for your constant reminders to everyone that being trans is a beautiful thing and that we can be who we were meant to be.  Everyone who posts, even if it is a small update or word of encouragement is helping someone somewhere.  This site is about community and helping others.  Even though I am now almost 4 years down the road in my journey, I still find valuable advice or information here.  So thank you to everyone who contributes to the discussions.

Jess, your are also inspirational.

M2F transgender people tend to suddenly catch up on beauty. In my case, I have been indulged in purchasing cosmetics and other beauty items that most teen girls are doing. Most people do not understand my quick temper in such things as wearing high heels, teen's miniskirt, and bikini. Most women at my age wear flat sandals, jeans and rashguard. People here reminded me that I need to slow down.

barbie~~

Jess.. You are an inspiration to us all and an advocate we can rely on. Each time I see a new picture I see a beautiful happy woman and I wonder what it would be like to be in your high heels. The fact you are a prosecuting attorney for the city of Los Angeles marvels. You represent well and we are proud of you. Just keep being yourself. When I came to Susans two years ago I saw your beaming face and I said to myself "Maybe it is possible after all" I had a lot of inspirations here. Archlords transition was amazing, Barbie looks so good in her pictures. Harley looks fabulous, Rachel looks great. You all inspire and there is no other way to be, other than happy and hopeful. I've had a hard time making friends in my life but since I started my journey I felt a kinship that I had not experience before. My love to you all, thanks for being there for us.

Ashley,
Those are very beautiful words and sentiment. Thank you.

As a new member to the site, I really appreciate the greeting I received from @Alaskan Danielle. As I mentioned in my introduction, I've known about this site for a few years now, but never joined until my recent affirmations. Part of the hesitation was that if I joined I would be acknowledging something that I just couldn't admit to myself.

I ended up spending time at one of the CD sites, and had grown to be less of a participant there over time due to a number of reasons. In perusing this site, I realized that I picked up only love, support, caring, and honesty within the posts I've read. During this very vulnerable moment of mine, I found this very comforting and it pulled me in, finally.

In the short time I have bene a member, I already feel like I belong, and that I've joined a sisterhood that I have longed for my whole life.

Thank you all!

Lovely words and sentiment

Hey All,

Just noticed this thread had been bumped while I was away... Thank you all for your compntributions and extra thanks to Jess, Sonja, KellyMarie and Sarah for the sweet words sent my direction!!!... With hope in our hearts...

Onward we go brave sisters!!!

Ashley 😀💕🌻

Quote from: tgirlamc on September 10, 2018, 03:04:06 PM
Hey All,

Just noticed this thread had been bumped while I was away... Thank you all for your compntributions and extra thanks to Jess, Sonja, KellyMarie and Sarah for the sweet words sent my direction!!!... With hope in our hearts...

Onward we go brave sisters!!!

Ashley 😀💕🌻

@tgirlamc
Dear Ashley:
There are very few members here on the Forums that disagree with the premise and subject of your thread.   Susan's Place is a lifesaver for many transgenders, newbies or oldies, regulars or lurkers... it doesn't matter the status of their transition.

What does matter is that fact that this site offers the kind of encouragement, hope and relevant information that is very difficult to find elsewhere online.

Kudos to all the Forum members that contribute with their posts, their thoughts and their life stories.

Hugs and well wishes to you and to all here on Susan's Place.
Danielle

Quote from: Alaskan Danielle on September 10, 2018, 03:11:58 PM
@tgirlamc
Dear Ashley:
There are very few members here on the Forums that disagree with the premise and subject of your thread.   Susan's Place is a lifesaver for many transgenders, newbies or oldies, regulars or lurkers... it doesn't matter the status of their transition.

What does matter is that fact that this site offers the kind of encouragement, hope and relevant information that is very difficult to find elsewhere online.

Kudos to all the Forum members that contribute with their posts, their thoughts and their life stories.

Hugs and well wishes to you and to all here on Susan's Place.
Danielle

And if there's anyone on the planet that needs hope more than us, I'd be hard pressed to see it.

Yeah I see what the site does for so many.
I use it very much as a crutch, I'm often away and at my garage and stuff and don't get much time for online stuff.
Sometimes I feel like you are sometimes missed or ignored in the trail of posts. And in my case I often only post when I'm feeling low or needing support. So it just makes it feel worse.
It's weird sometimes I put it down to my crappy way of talking or writing. I make typos and my way of getting things down can be abit backwards.
I guess I'm this way needy because out here in Ireland I have not one trans friend. I have never met a trans person here in Ireland yet.
Sometimes my dad gets me way down still cause he keeps calling me by my old name and crap.
It's so annoying cause he doesn't do it when talking to anyone else.
I feeling a dud for posting this, but again I'm needy. And there's some people here I really look up to and admire :') and some of em are here in the post

 

Quote from: Rachel_Christina on September 11, 2018, 01:49:28 AM
Yeah I see what the site does for so many.
I use it very much as a crutch, I'm often away and at my garage and stuff and don't get much time for online stuff.
Sometimes I feel like you are sometimes missed or ignored in the trail of posts. And in my case I often only post when I'm feeling low or needing support. So it just makes it feel worse.
It's weird sometimes I put it down to my crappy way of talking or writing. I make typos and my way of getting things down can be abit backwards.
I guess I'm this way needy because out here in Ireland I have not one trans friend. I have never met a trans person here in Ireland yet.
Sometimes my dad gets me way down still cause he keeps calling me by my old name and crap.
It's so annoying cause he doesn't do it when talking to anyone else.
I feeling a dud for posting this, but again I'm needy. And there's some people here I really look up to and admire :') and some of em are here in the post

Hello My Beautiful Little Sister

First... No feeling like a dud!... You have brought up some wonderful points about how people view and use this site... They are actually some of the more important points that, in my opinion... are not addressed enough... So here are a few of my thoughts and HOPES...for whatever they are worth.

Everyone coming here has needs... The needs we encounter along the transgender journey are huge ones indeed... The need to make changes to our outer shell to finally reflect what we feel is inside us is HUGE... The need to know that others see what is inside us, by way of our outside presentation, is HUGE... Complicating matters is the fact that we feel we lose all ability to assess our own changes or make any accurate judgement about how others see us... As a result... We often look to others to be our mirror and provide that feedback...

Sadly sometimes, others can be a source of disappointment when we don't get what we are seeking from them...When we feel overlooked or ignored, our minds can go into a negative spiral as we imagine all the possibilities why... Our thoughts can often end up settling in a very negative place where we feel there is something wrong with us... This, little sister, is a mental process that I am not totally unfamiliar with!

Transition, by its very nature, is a time of intense focus on self... Sadly, that fact can make it a bit more difficult at times to get what we want and need from others... Our path is so unique that we look to others on the transgender journey as our only sources of true understanding of the complexities we face... In a situation like yours... With no other contact but online, the forum takes on even more significance... ( btw... I'd like to replace your word "crutch" above with the word ... "resource"... ) 😀

My HOPE, is that we all try to always remain cognizant that this place can be an emotional minefield of sorts and we need to always take care how we travel through it... There are always emotions at play here... Some times apparent and sometimes a bit more hidden but, they are always here and in our care... affected by our words, actions and even our lack of action as well...

Love... Kindness... Empathy...Truth... are always winners around here in my book... We are all in the same boat... we have to be gentle with ourselves and gentle with the others in the boat as well... Who knows?,...This voyage might just end up in a really beautiful place...

Now... My Beautiful Little Sister... I want you to KNOW just how GORGEOUS you are and KNOW that you are going to succeed in making your life into whatever you want it to be... You are in the process of making this life and this world your own and all shall be well 😀!!!!!

I am always here if I can be of help along the way...

Onward we go brave little sister,

Ashley 😀❤️🌻

Awww your so lovely Ashley, honestly, and you talk so well it's just so nice. I can be so broad and harsh with my words I often worry about leaving replies to things atall. And I often have to read over to make sure I haven't made a mess.
Its so dumb but often it's when you are needy you leave a word, and then of course if you aren't noticed it compounds the negativity that made you leave the comment in the first place.
Pay no mind to me, I have just been feeling terrible since I have not managed to get a job yet, I have run out of savings and tons of other wee nagging things chipping away at me.
But it's not so bad with my last 130 I bout a good few months supply of blockers and E. And I had a phone call finally this morning to get my levels checked.
I know things will pick up.
I do wish I had a friend in a similar position. I dunno why I feel like I need that, but it has just been on my mind.

Thank you so much for your words Ashley, you really are a beacon of light in an often dark world!

Quote from: Rachel_Christina on September 11, 2018, 01:49:28 AM
Yeah I see what the site does for so many.
I use it very much as a crutch, I'm often away and at my garage and stuff and don't get much time for online stuff.
Sometimes I feel like you are sometimes missed or ignored in the trail of posts. And in my case I often only post when I'm feeling low or needing support. So it just makes it feel worse.
It's weird sometimes I put it down to my crappy way of talking or writing. I make typos and my way of getting things down can be abit backwards.
I guess I'm this way needy because out here in Ireland I have not one trans friend. I have never met a trans person here in Ireland yet.
Sometimes my dad gets me way down still cause he keeps calling me by my old name and crap.
It's so annoying cause he doesn't do it when talking to anyone else.
I feeling a dud for posting this, but again I'm needy. And there's some people here I really look up to and admire :') and some of em are here in the post

Never feel that your contributions here are missed.  I frequently only have time to just quickly read over things here and there and don't have time to write the responses that I would like to. I ALWAYS look forward to your posts because I so admire how you have transitioned.  I know that it hasn't been an easy road for you.  I wish I had more time to offer support to everyone here. 

I don't know if you'd like to hang out with a visitor from the USA who may be visiting your fair country in a couple of weeks but I know she'd love to meet you.....

My roommate and I are planning on flying into Dublin the last week of September and spend a week or so traveling around the country.  I know you got to hang out with Jessica a while back and I figured you might want to meet up with your big sis from California too.  Shoot me a DM and I will let you know what my plans are as soon as we finalize them.

Quote from: Rachel_Christina on September 11, 2018, 12:35:48 PM
Pay no mind to me, I have just been feeling terrible since I have not managed to get a job yet, I have run out of savings and tons of other wee nagging things chipping away at me.

I'm with you on that... I'd manage to get an interview then I wouldn't go. It's like a cycle I made for myself. It's not a good situation to be in at all.
I hope things work out for you. How did your name change go by the way? I'm still stuck on that myself and it's kind of part of the reason I keep delaying things...

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