Community

Joe makes an interesting point with his comment on "Purge" the vast majority of what we see or read about cross dressing, trans gender or trans sexual is all about the male to female.   Apart from Joe's own blog all the popular ones featured on T Central  are male to female.   Frock magazine seems to have totally overlooked the fact that these men exist despite claiming that they are a " glossy bi-monthly magazine that's aimed squarely at the transgender community", I guess the clue is in the name.

Now here's the thing is there actually such a thing as a "transgender community" I know that many of you "dear readers" are trans or have an interest in trans matters, again I guess that's why you are reading, but a community?   I meet with other T folk (all M to F) a maximum of once a month, it's nice to have the support and the opportunity to join campaigns for recognition / acceptance but does this make us a community?    It may be that it's just me, I want to be accepted as a woman in the community in which I live and operate, in a transgender community I will never be accepted as anything other than trans.   These meetings are an opportunity for some of the less confident, to dress, an environment where being accepted as Trans they don't need to worry so much about not passing, they blend OK with all the other T Girls who don't pass.  Is the transgender community just a bigger closet?

Don't get me wrong these groups do valuable service, I'm not sure that I would be as "out" as I am without having had the group to go to, practise on and help build my self confidence.   I am also sure that without them many, many people would be suffering major mental and emotional problems.   Without some outlet for our need to "let the outside fit the inside" most of us know the pressures that build up, and the drastic measures that get considered.   I just long for a time, a situation when we don't even think about a trans community, but where trans people are just accepted as part of the community.