Getting Out Of Laura's

[Guest yvonne]

Special greetings to all members of the group,

Are you "getting out of Laura's" as much as you could? Is there not much here for you?

One of the biggest obstacles the victims of Gender Identity Disorder suffer is fear. Fear to confront our feelings, fear of showing ourselves to others, even fear of admitting who we really are.

In my own case, I expressed disgust with myself for being so perverted as to want to dress up like a woman. Normal men don't do that. I fought to fix it, I fought to overcome it, I didn't understand it.

This was before the Internet and before people even accepted gays. Now, gays are everywhere in TV and movies and no big deal.

Well, I was right, normal men DON'T do that and I was certainly no normal man. I'm a girl.

If you're going to help yourself, if you're going to feel better about yourself, if you're going to experience joy and personal satisfaction with who you really are, you should participate here.

Don't let fear keep you from it.

No one knows who you are.

Each post is moderated, so no one can say things to you that are hurtful or spiteful. No one will bite your head off, make fun of you or belittle you.

You'll find the other girls will support you.

Part of the healing and development process is getting your own feelings out and confronting who you really are.

Many of you live where there are no Gender Therapists. Look, there's a ton of them right here! AND THEY'RE FREE!

Participation is good therapy, the more who participate, the more there is to read for everyone and the more we can all understand ourselves. How many times do you read someone's life story on here and say to yourself, "That's me! That's my story, too!" The more we read this, the more we're exposed to it, the better we can understand that we didn't make this up. We can't help it. It's a bloomin' birth defect, for heaven's sake.

Despite being a physical ailment, it can be dealt with mentally.

So, post, already. Share your innermost feelings, feel the love and understanding from the other girls. Give some of your own back to them. It makes you feel wonderful and will multiply the good feelings you get from reading and lurking here.

I love being a girl and I hope you do, too. So, enjoy your girlhood and develop it here. Feel good about yourself, but most importantly--feel good about what you just posted here at Laura's.

Hugs of understanding to all of you--now school's out. Get out there on that playground and get to know all the other nice girls here. You'll feel better.

Yvonne

[Guest angie]

Way to go coach Yvonne,

I like the way you expressed yourself,promoting participation on/in

the forums is good therapy.I had no one when I first joined,was in

total isolation from all my loved ones,at the very start of my transition.

Without the love and support I received from my loving and supportive

sisters,I would have felt so isolated and alone a whole lot longer.So please

do join in the topics,even start a thread on your own.The responses you get

will surprise you with the warmth and understanding.

Good Girl Yvonne,

Angie

[Guest rachael1]

Great post Yvonne.

Laura's is a great place whereby we can heal and recover from the hurt and pain we may be feeling and find love and support to help us.

It is a great place to learn and to make friends as well..

BTW You forgot to mention the boys they won't be happy.

Rachael

[Guest viv]

Hi Yvonne,

Well, upon my Soul hun, if that post did"nt get me standing to attention /chest out and proud as punch to be a woman ......well, nothing will.

There was a moment when ,in that post , if I could have bottled the atmosphere you created ...oh my, coulda made a fortune.

Thank you so much, Monday blues gone , somebody buy that woman a drink, love you Yvonne, ya know that hun ?? viv.

[Sally]

Yvonne,

That was one of the best posts that I have ever read. (wish that I had written it and who knows maybe I will )

Seriously, there are three aspects to Laura's, Suicide prevention, support and a gathering place for like spirits.

You have explained how to get the most support from the site in the best way that I have ever heard.

You have just earned a trip to my quiet spot complete with a picnic lunch.

I cannot say enough about the importance of participation, so the invitation to the quiet spot goes out to all of you that feel like posting.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Yvonne

Indeed, that's what it is all about here

Support!!!

Thank you

Brenda

[Guest Donna Jean]

Oh my.....

Nicely done, Yvonne....very nicely done...

You're a one girl cheering section!

It's as I like to say...

One day you are strong and you help some one...

The next day you're weak and some one helps you...

It's how we work here and it's nice to let people know that is how it works...

This site has been priceless to so many people...

Thanks, Hon....

LOVE & HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

YGG

That is one of the best descriptions I have heard anywhere. It certainly is one of the best reasons to belong here and use this as your therapy group if you have none in your locality. OMG here I go again, the tears welling I can feel them.

Buy that woman a drink and new wardrobe

she has summed up this place so well

[Carolyn Marie]

Yvonne, that is a wonderful reminder to some of the old hands around here, as well as a wake-up

call, and an inspiration and guide to the newbie members. I wish I could attach it to every

post greeting a new member.

You have a wonderful uplifting spirit, girl, and I'm proud to be your friend.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest DeniseNM]

Yvonne I must admit that title of this thread threw me for a moment but I am glad that you wrote what you did because it is all so very true. This is a wonderful place that Laura started and that so many have made even better where we can all come together to help each other out. I am so thankful that I found my way here and all the friends that I have made because of this "little slice of internet heaven".

This site shows how you never know how one thing can (and often does) affect more people than you ever know.

Denise

[Guest Jessica?]

1

[Guest Erin Quinn]

What a wonderful heartwarming post. Laura's has been so helpful and special to me these last few months. If Laura's was a person, I'd bake it a cake...aw heck, I may still do that

[Guest mia 1]

Laura is a person so bake that cake and make it a strawberry shortcake..pretty please.........

[Guest ~Brenda~]

I will add that my experience has been that the more that I get involved here, the more enriched I become.

The old saying that you get what you put into something is very true here. The more I give, the more I receive.

Laura Amato is a very real person. She is the creator and founder of this site.

We all lover her so much for doing this for us

All my love

Brenda

[Guest Vicky]

Thank you Yvonne, I read you post, and thank you again...

Hugggs,

Lily

[Guest qRachelp]

EXCELLENT POST, PERIOD.

XX'ing you, Yvonne

Rachel

[Guest meridian]

Yvonne, thank you for this wonderful post. I hope the subject line will attract some people who are thinking of leaving, and then the message will encourage them to stay. I looked at the post because the subject line made me wonder why anyone would leave, and I was relieved and delighted to read the message attached.

As a parent, I have to say that Laura's has changed my life. I have met other parents who share my concerns and we are able to offer each other mutual support and friendship. I have met this wonderful community of people like my daughter who have let me know, by their words and their example, that she has the prospect of a good life ahead (and I feel that the members of this community have become my friends, too; I hope you feel that way). I have, little by little, become an activist for transgender rights and transgender acceptance.

Thank you, Laura's; thank you, Laura; thank you, everyone.

And thank you, Yvonne!

Much love,

Meridian

[Guest angie]

Yvonne, thank you for this wonderful post. I hope the subject line will attract some people who are thinking of leaving, and then the message will encourage them to stay. I looked at the post because the subject line made me wonder why anyone would leave, and I was relieved and delighted to read the message attached.

As a parent, I have to say that Laura's has changed my life. I have met other parents who share my concerns and we are able to offer each other mutual support and friendship. I have met this wonderful community of people like my daughter who have let me know, by their words and their example, that she has the prospect of a good life ahead (and I feel that the members of this community have become my friends, too; I hope you feel that way). I have, little by little, become an activist for transgender rights and transgender acceptance.

Thank you, Laura's; thank you, Laura; thank you, everyone.

And thank you, Yvonne!

Much love,

Meridian

Meridian,

It is we women of the Playground who thank you instead.I love that you accept your daughter,

that means more to her than words can ever express.And a warm thanks for choosing to be a

gender rights activist,we need more supportive loving parents like you.

Warmest Wishes and a Huge Hug thrown in too,

Angelique Michelle

[Guest yvonne]

Yvonne, thank you for this wonderful post. I hope the subject line will attract some people who are thinking of leaving, and then the message will encourage them to stay. I looked at the post because the subject line made me wonder why anyone would leave, and I was relieved and delighted to read the message attached.

As a parent, I have to say that Laura's has changed my life. I have met other parents who share my concerns and we are able to offer each other mutual support and friendship. I have met this wonderful community of people like my daughter who have let me know, by their words and their example, that she has the prospect of a good life ahead (and I feel that the members of this community have become my friends, too; I hope you feel that way). I have, little by little, become an activist for transgender rights and transgender acceptance.

Thank you, Laura's; thank you, Laura; thank you, everyone.

And thank you, Yvonne!

Much love,

Meridian

Oh, Meridian,

Thank YOU for the wonderful post. It's bad enough that we have to deal with a physical condition over which we have no control, but without the support of loved ones, the struggle intensifies.

I probably have a unique perspective on this because of my age. My own son is gay and it was obvious from a very young age that he was different. I wanted to do a lot of Father/Son things with him that he simply had no interest in.

He came out to myself and his mother at about age 20 or so (this was over 20 years ago and things were a lot different back then from a society perspective). After he'd bared his soul to us, he waited in total apprehension for our reaction, particularly mine.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I leaned forward, looked him straight in the eye and said that he was my son and I loved him. I told him that my love for him was totally unconditional and unwavering. I told him I'd love him forever and none of this mattered to me one bit. He's my son and I love him. My love is unconditional, for any love that IS conditional really isn't love, is it?

I understood at that time that being gay was not a choice people made, it was not a fad and it was the way some people are. Period, so deal with it and don't let it ruin your life. I accept you just as you are and you'll always have my support.

So, thank you for being understanding and loving your daughter. It's not an easy situation for a parent and many can't accept it. That's a shame, but it's no different than a birth defect. When we decide to bring a child into the world, we don't get choices. There's no catalog from which we choose and we get what we get.

Thank you for doing your part to bring more acceptance of our condition to the public.

What Laura's has done for me is let me get to know other women who share my affliction. I've been buried so deep in a little closet of shame all these years that I had no idea there were people out there just like me leading normal lives. I thought expressing your feminine side led to despair, depression, rejection by society and a slow death of frustration. The reality I've discovered here is that it's the exact opposite. NOT expressing it leads to those things.

Laura's let me see pride, inner peace and joy. Now, I feel like a fool for keeping it bottled up all these years, as this is frequently a fatal affliction, borne out by grave statistics. My therapist said she can't believe I'm not in a gutter someplace or dead.

So, thanks again, Meridian. We're so glad to have you here.

Yvonne

[Guest Cait]

I sometimes enjoy Laura's, as the "trials and errors" of Transgenderism are the same for most.

Do feel others hate me because i buy my hormones off the internet, and fired my Psychiatrist.

At my age I'm too independent to put up with non-sense.

You sometimes only get as much back as you put in.

My mood Swings (psychological)

My mood swings (hormonal)

make it hard for me to figure out if people like me or not, but like the TS Road Map says, you have to accept yourself.

People call me names, laugh at my changing body...the men I meet would and DO not like a TG person, i suspect.

My family likes me better this way...although all the Hormones may have just sedated my personality!

Laura's was the first place i found right before beginning HRT and so, it can't be all bad...I was in bad shape when i arrived...

Boozing it up, and in school Over-Stressed.

Love,

Katie

[Guest angie]

I sometimes enjoy Laura's, as the "trials and errors" of Transgenderism are the same for most.

Do feel others hate me because i buy my hormones off the internet, and fired my Psychiatrist.

Love,

Katie

Kate my sweet sister,

No one here could possibly hate you just because you DIY...

Many started on our journey that way,including I.

What we do want to stress,is having a physican to hold our hand on our journey,

will safely see you through to the completion,so you come out a complete and

happy woman.You are taking the necessary strides to make yourself into who you

know you are.All that we ask is that you try to find a caring trans friendly physican.

Warm Hugs of Understanding,

Angelique Michelle

[Guest Cait]

Kate my sweet sister,

No one here could possibly hate you just because you DIY...

Many started on our journey that way,including I.

What we do want to stress,is having a physican to hold our hand on our journey,

will safely see you through to the completion,so you come out a complete and

happy woman.You are taking the necessary strides to make yourself into who you

know you are.All that we ask is that you try to find a caring trans friendly physican.

Warm Hugs of Understanding,

Angelique Michelle

Well, I doubt you hate me!

Online I meet lots of TG's, and we are not hateful people--

People I meet honestly like me better this way, although it may be I'm just more relaxed!

I live in North Carolina and this is a rough trip.

Came out to my mom and she is being very Great to me.

Have blood work that is performed by a primary care physician...but i fired a therapist who

I warned before I ever came in, by way of his receptionist, I was on Hormones for months

(have breasts--small but permanent, etc. )

and I'm not ever quitting my transition--it isn't open for debate.

You may find this a bizarre way of thought or not, but...

I figure the odds are almost 100% I would have taken Hormones at age 20 when i had

my first Boyfriend, so I view that the situation I'm in now is one that hasn't really changed.

(he, or however he identifies himself, wouldn't help me get HRT)

Think old friends are dumping me as I transition, and I really expected them to go right away...

Makes no sense, I look cute!

Thank you for the kind words though, I think my end result isn't so extreme.

Too Tall.

But at least my body is already more how I wanted it to look.

So far I don't see any problems, but having a job is something I wonder about alot, and it doesn't look good for me,

to be honest.

My history or Drinking and Bi-Polar disorder have already got them ready to not hire me as a nurse, then to add

being a Transsexual to that.

I have filed a complaint with the ACLU over other matters, but that is more out of fear of the Police and

the Macho types I have to deal with.

In general we deal with the same issues--although I never married or had kids--but i wanted to

Even feel maternal now, but I was too disfunctional to have many relationships

Accepting myself has been very hard, but I have almost stopped drinking completely, but

I have a huge inferiority complex that colors everything I see and hear.

Truly my sisters have been the glue that has kept me together, I've recieved next to nothing from anyone else.

I did get a chance to have Gender Therapy, but I turned it down

Think I just feel so pushed and pulled, just can't work up the energy to answer more questions

for more strangers, and walk this way and talk this way

Don't know why I put "hate" in there...maybe I feel it evokes a resentment?

I offended some Girls once by implying they weren't really TG's for some trivial misunderstanding, but

they are in a different country.

I admit I am totally ignorant of all these different labels and always called myself a Transsexual.

As I intend to fully change genders to feel normal about myself.

That was all that exsisted in my mind as options as a teen.

I can't remember when I discovered April Ashley

but that was my model.

Someone tore all the pictures of her out of the book I had,

and I had to wait years to actually see what she looked like, by getting on the internet!

So, I have offended Transwomen with my lack of knowledge about Transition options.

Have to say this DIY way has been much easier than having a program.

Although no one knows why I look the way I do, and I can be called the occassional name or

things of that nature.

Did make some half hearted efforts to meet some TG's in my area...

but it involved men and I

ended up with the Men.

Don't know if this boosted my confidence or not?

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have love at all.

The best thing I've found so far is to not think too much about anything.

Just wake up and go!

lots of love,

Katie