Reply To: Hello😁

[DeeAnn Hopings]

Phoenix:

Glad you could join us and I hope that the time that you spend here will be beneficial.

The group here spans the range from questioning ones gender identity to having completely transitioned years ago and all points in between. The members come from all over the world, which reinforces the notion that we are everywhere and doing everything. However, in spite of this, the trans community is still plagued by isolation. Often people don’t attempt to make contact with the community due to the fear of being outed, feelings of shame and embarrassment and a number of other reasons. It’s just a real downer when you feel that you are just twisting in the wind and all alone.

I see that you live in a relatively small town. While there may not be a community locally, one of the things that happened due to COVID is that LGBT centers have been doing social and support gatherings online. From what I’m hearing from from staff at our LGBTQ Community Center of the Coachella Valley (where I am a board member) is that the online gatherings will likely remain a part of their programming. It allows support for a larger geographical area and eliminates transportation and time issues. I am part of 2 women’s chat groups. One is sponsored by the LGBTQ Center and the other by an organization called the L-Fund. They started some years ago as a philanthropic organization to provide emergency funds for lesbians in need, but in more recent times they have branched out into educational funding and social events. In addition to local women, we have folks ZOOM in from Las Vegas, West Virginia, Seattle, Nebraska and the Central California Coast. For whatever reason (people who have a 2nd home here or vacation here frequently or want to learn about the area and connect with women with the thought of relocating after retirement), for me it just adds to the richness of the experience. Anyway, of all of the negative things that happened as a result of COVID, this is a positive.

I encourage you to complete your Profile page. It helps other members understand what your situation is, your goals and other information. It will always be readily available and can be updated at any time if something changes for you.

You can also search for other members in your area by clicking on Social in the menu and then Member Directory.