Anyone in Salem or Portland, Oregon?

[Karla]

Hi, I've been in the State Capitol working on the launch of Cover Oregon... I've found Lil' Gypsy, the Southside Speakeasy... but no transgender folks unless you are so deep stealth that you blend in with your giant dripping basked of fries.

Sent several eMails to salemtg.net, no answer, the site seems dead.  Same with Northwest Gender Alliance (NWGA), of Portland, Oregon... dead link.  I've been here a month and haven't met anybody yet!

I understand that after transitioning, folks just want to get on with their lives... Anybody here?  Yoo-hoo !

[Jamie D]

Karla, most of our Oregonian members are in the Portland area.

I did a search and only found one former member specifically identified as being in Salem.  But
I'll keep looking.

[MadelineB]

Yup, there's quite a few of us in the Portland area. I don't personally know any trans people in the Salem area that I know of, though you are only an hour away so don't forget about us to your North.

P.S. Keep up the good work on the Oregon healthcare exchange. We are busy as bees at the health insurer where I work, getting ready to accommodate so many new individuals and employers getting health insurance at last. You should be proud of the work that you are doing. Just remember that every new software system is more complex than it was ever planned to be; getting workflows right is an art and takes time.
-Maddie

[Karla]

Portland?  Sure I'd love to come up to Portland for any meetups, get-togethers, or just an occasional Dinner.  I'll check the web presence.  I'm here Mon-Thursday, and will be happy to brave the traffic and drive up to Portland.   Anybody?

Thanks for your kind comments, Maddie & Jamie.   I'm so happy my work is being of use to people.  I don't get the opportunity to serve, often.  And yes, the workflows are quite complex, but I'm using a flexible workflow engine.  The days of writing code to chase changing business requirements have long been over; fortunately at least some of the world is beginning to catch up. 

I expect to be here for at least until the end of November, and I've been told to keep my schedule flexible through the New Year.    Yayyyy!  I really like the people here... each day has some side-splitting laughs.  Oregon has been a safe and supportive place to come out.

Oh, someone wrote an article about us:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/us/as-opening-day-nears-insurance-exchanges-scramble-to-prepare.html?hp&_r=4& 🔗 [Link: nytimes.com/2013/09/30/us/as-​opening-​day-​nears-​insurance-​exchanges-​scramble-​to-​prepare.html/]

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Like Maddie, I am also in Portland.  There are support groups at the Q center here.

[Karla]

Thanks for the pointer to the support groups, Ms. O'Brien.  I'm just a transient, so what I'm really looking for is Girl's Night Out.   Who's game?

(Rumour is, they're moving us up to Hillsborough anyway, making Salem a moot point.)

[Nicolet J.]

I know this is an old thread.  But I run a social group here in salem oregon.  We have quite a few people here the group is called T-Gather.  I don't know what kind of information I can give you on here. But we meet every other Saturday in salem. 

[Karla]

Thanks so much, Nicolet !!!   I haven't been to Salem since the new year; and I miss it.  All the best to you...

[Nicolet J.]

 My pleasure Karla.  I have four different counselors you can ask about the group here, if you come back.

Kris Rieck, Deb Anderson, Heather Manning,  or Dr. Sam Sappington. These are all counselors or therapists That can direct you to the group.