New to here

I’ll reply to myself  I’m dealing with a lot of internal struggles a person with a Christian faith based life  which I know when the truth comes out about me I’ll be shunned I have dealt with this my whole freaking life (gonna be 69 next week)  and still trying to figure out  this I got a therapist  hope this thing works out

Toni:

Glad you joined! I hope that being here will be helpful for your journey.

I have relatives in Tampa and the surrounding areas, but I haven’t been down there in decades. Currently, sadly I would have to say that I don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon.

Are you connected to the trans community in your area? Unfortunately many trans people are not connected to others in their area and that can create isolation. Humans are social beings and spending time with our peers is almost always helpful.

In terms of getting acquainted with other members, I suggest searching the Member Directory for members near you. I’ve never been a fan of “If You Build It, They Will Come”. It just seems to me that a more proactive approach works better. To get to the Directory, click on Social in the menu. Member Directory is the next to the bottom choice.

Also, I ask if you would complete your Profile page. It forms a starting point and a reference for getting to know you. It is also important to know that the page will always be readily available and may be updated if something changes for you.

Thank you so much for your input I’m still working my way thru this I’m not a on line girl and I struggle to master navigating the site but I’m learning every day  I will look into expanding my horizons but I’m still a little afraid of finding out more about myself   Still in the closet and  afraid to cause a seismic impact in my life . I’ll try to finish filling in my personal info. Thank you

If you click on your name, which is to the left of your message, you will see icons for WALL, PROFILE, PUBLIC PHOTOS, etc. Click on PROFILE and that will take you to your PROFILE page. That will show you what is currently on your PROFILE page. In relatively small text, you will see VIEW, EDIT, etc. Clicking on EDIT will allow you to change what is on your PROFILE page. When you are done click the Update button below you PROFILE page text. That will save your changes.

In the menu, click on Forums and then click on All Forums. As you scroll down the page, you will see the names, descriptions and image for each of the 16 forums on TGH. Clicking on any of those will take you to that forum.

When you are taken to any of the forums, you will see a large area with a blue background. The links in the blue area are called “Stickies” because they are stuck in place so that they always appear in this place until they are deleted.

At the bottom of the blue area is a link called: Member HowTo for navigating the TGH website.

Clicking on that will take you to a series of documents that Michelle Lawson created to help people move around the site and carry out various tasks. There are 15 different slides that should help. The blue section also appears at the top of each forum: Introductions and new members, Community Chat, etc. If something is not clear or you can’t find what you are looking for, let one of us know.

Thank you !    Thank you

I always suggest that people work with a therapist that has experience with gender issues. Trying to work through hard questions about our gender identity or sexuality are very difficult by ourselves. It is possible, but it is the long road to town…

I second what Dee says: a therapist experienced in gender issues can be very, very helpful in finding yourself (mirrors work, too, but not in the same way :-)).  I am your age - 69 (70 in July). Also waited "my whole life" to start transitioning. Now under medically supervised transition. So it's not too late, not at all, for you to transition, too . . . IF . . .IF you finally determine that is what is right for you. Got to get your head straight on that score first, because this process (as wonderful as it feels to finally claim your womanhood) can have some challenges and is not something to back out of once you are halfway in. So . . . therapist!!  Who, by the way, may be able to help you work through your religious issues, too. Myself, I am a former believer, so did not have to deal with that. But I can tell you there are Christian denominations which are reasonably accepting; Methodists, I believe are one such. Unitarians are another (although their belief in a single God, not a Trinity, might be further than you care to go). Long story short: if you are sure your current congregation will reject you, look for another, more accepting congregation. They're out there, even in Desantistan . . . ooops, sorry, I meant Florida. (Full disclosure: my brother lives in FL.)