Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Hi all, glad to be here


mattb89

Recommended Posts

Hi, My name is Matt, I am 31 years old, AMAB and identify as genderfluid. A little about me: I live in rural Herefordshire, UK, I came out publicly a few months back and have had very mixed responses off people, as a result I have lost a lot of friends and people i believed cared about me. I am going into my second year of a degree studying counselling with a view to starting an LGBTQ+ specific counselling service in this area as the support available locally is horrifying, I am also a single parent to a fantastic little 6 year old, he is my life. I'm looking forward to hearing others experiences surrounding their gender identity, as well as any thoughts people may have with regards to the service i am hoping to set up. As well as making like minded friends and hopefully finding some support, 

 

Much love to you all, thank you for having me

Matt 

xxxxxx

 

189578505_10158365700697967_8887935537590359503_n.jpg

Link to comment
  • Root Admin

Welcome Matt, you will be made most welcome here I know!

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

@mattb89 welcome. Sorry for the response from friends but know you many new friends here and I am so happy you are studying counselling. There is a sire need in all parts of the world and being able to help in that profession will be rewarding not only to you but to so many.

 

Link to comment

Thank you all for a lovely welcome :) i look forward to getting to know everyone better when i can, got a bit distracted tonight fixing a guitar, had intended to trawl the forums properly but lost track of time! Over the next few days i will definitely be around :)❤️ 

Link to comment

@mattb89welcome to the group! I hope you feel welcome here! Thank you for sharing a bit of your story with us. We're glad to have you! ❤️

Link to comment

Welcome Matt! Glad you're here. I think you'll find the support & advice here helpful; I know I have. Your career choice sounds wonderful & rewarding. Raising a six year old can be a career in itself. I find the joy of nurturing children an affirmation of my femme. 

 

Hugs!

Delcina

Link to comment

Hi Matt, welcome.

I also lost friends when coming out, and realised they where the kind of people that expected something of me and needed me to conform to their idea of who I was, instead of appreciating me. Since then I've made some new friends with whom I can be myself freely and be accepted for who I am, and as a result our frienship is closer, more authentic and freeing. You'll find your people too.

Your career choice is wonderful. Cheering you on!

Looking forward to hearing more about you

Link to comment

Hi Matt, pleased to meet you. :) There is a definite shortage of accreddited accessible counsellors in the UK, so it is a good path to choose.

Link to comment

Hi Matt!  nice to meet you and, Welcome!

I think you will find this Forum and the Members to be a great community for support and sharing experiences and encouragement.  I know I have.

18 hours ago, mattb89 said:

I am going into my second year of a degree studying counselling with a view to starting an LGBTQ+ specific counselling service

That is FANTASTIC that you are using your life to help others in our community.  Gender Therapy has been extremely important for me and I understand what an essential service it is for everybody who struggles in society. 

Wishing you all the best in your journey and endeavors.  Deep breaths ... one step at a time

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   3 Members, 0 Anonymous, 98 Guests (See full list)

    • Betty K
    • awkward-yet-sweet
    • Maddee
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.7k
    • Total Posts
      768.3k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,023
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Delaney
    Newest Member
    Delaney
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Dillon
      Dillon
    2. Kaylee888
      Kaylee888
    3. lily100
      lily100
      (39 years old)
    4. Luce
      Luce
      (44 years old)
    5. Luke.S
      Luke.S
  • Posts

    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Seems like a reasonable agreement.  Seattle stays out of Texas, Texas stays out of Seattle.  Weird that the Seattle hospital had a business license in Texas... 
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Seems to me the time and cost is already being spent....on lawsuits.  And schools are absolutely flush with cash, at least around here.  They get enough property taxes, they need to learn appropriate use of funds.  Buy a few less computers and a few more bathrooms, and spend less time on athletics and I'd bet you a hamburger that the issue would be solved in a year.   To me, it seems like the whole bathroom thing is like lancing a boil or a cyst.  A sharp initial pain, and done. People are just resistant to doing it.      I think I could solve most of it...but politicians get too much press off of this to want it solved.   1.  Universal use of individual, gender-neutral, private bathrooms 2.  Universal use of individual, gender-neutral, private spaces for changing athletic clothes 3.  Emphasize co-ed rather than gendered sports.  Focus on physical activity, good sportsmanship, and having FUN.  Lifelong enjoyment, not just competition. 4.  Ban for-profit athletic programs at highschool and college levels, and ban betting/gambling related to athletic programs at educational institutions. 5.  Affirm parental rights consistently, rather than treating it like a salad bar.  That means permitting gender-affirming healthcare with parental consent, AND prohibiting schools keeping secrets from parents.  Adopt the "paperwork principle."  If it is on paper, parents 100% have a right to know about it and be informed on paper, including names/pronouns if such are documented.  If it is verbal only, it is informal enough to be overlooked or discussed verbally if needed.
    • Carolyn Marie
      https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/22/texas-trans-health-care-investigation-seattle/     Carolyn Marie
    • Carolyn Marie
      https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/transgender-louisianans-say-ve-lost-ally-governors-seat-rcna149082     Carolyn Marie
    • Carolyn Marie
      https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/2024-anti-trans-legislation/     Carolyn Marie
    • Carolyn Marie
      It would work better, but the issue will always be time and cost, unless a school district is building a new school.  Districts everywhere are short on infrastructure funds, so it's not a realistic solution in most cases.   Carolyn Marie
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      I have always thought that the solution to the bathroom question (as well as improved bathroom quality/privacy for everybody) would be individual, gender-neutral, locking bathrooms.  Not this wacky thing we insist on doing with stalls.  It wouldn't take much more space, really.  And it might actually work better.  Ever notice how there's often a line at the door of the women's room, but plenty of free space in the men's?  Yet the men's and women's bathrooms are usually of equal size/capacity? 
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      I'm going to have to stop staying up so late at night...  Its after midnight, so technically morning.  So, Good Morning, y'all.   I got to go to work with my husband for the last two days.  I'm working on the graphics stuff for his company, so he said that nobody would really mind if I hang out.  I usually stay home, but its kind of nice to be somewhere different for a little while.  I spent part of the day at one of the company's installation sites... beautiful weather, so I worked on my laptop sitting under a tree.  And I learned something new - it is amazing how electrical wires are installed underground.  They're put in PVC tubes, and actually pulled through.  By hand!  Apparently a machine would risk breaking the wires somehow, so I watched a line of men literally playing tug-of-war with hundreds of feet of wire.  It was like something out of an old movie - my husband leading a call/response work chant and everybody pulling in a rhythm.    It does give me a bit of self-doubt, though.  Like, if that's what "real men" are doing... maybe I'm a poor-quality imitation
    • Betty K
      Can I just say quickly re the bathroom question, how come no-one ever seems to suggest building more gender-neutral toilets? 
    • Betty K
      With the onslaught of bills targeting trans kids in the US and the current attempt to radically curtail gender-affirming treatment for kids in the UK I think you could just as easily ask why are things so hard for trans kids. Given the volatile political situation around them, I am pleased to hear there are still services attempting to help them.
    • KayC
      @Mia Marie I agree that it seems most of the focus is on Trans Youth.  And maybe that is in part because of protecting Trans Youth from the political environment, and to give them a chance to transition at an earlier age.  Many of our generation have been cloistered for most of our lives by societal exceptions and I think that has made it more difficult to be Visible ... until Now. So I guess my answer is ... Be Visible and seek out, or even start, support groups in your local area.  Planned Parenthood does provide Gender Affirming Care and therapy in most U.S. regions (and they take Medicare!). 
    • KayC
      As a registered CA voter I would be HAPPY to vote against this bill ... BUT as @Carolyn Marie mentioned it has little chance to make the ballot.  Hopefully this will put the Death Knell on the bill.   wrt Parents Rights of notification.  I would agree if there was potential harm to a child, or if the child was involved in potentially harming somebody else.  BUT, that would not be the case in the preponderance of situations.  The decision to Come Out to one's own parents should be up to the individual child only.  If the child does not feel Secure or Safe in their household then it should not be up to the State or School to make that determination. If the child did feel safe and secure they would have probably already come out.  If they haven't ... then the situation seems obvious.  Protect the Child, not the System.
    • KayC
      Great news!  We ARE starting to receive more public support and visibility in opposition to these types of horrendous and wasteful bills.
    • KayC
      Nice to meet you @mattie22 , and Welcome! Your feelings are very normal.  I felt much the same at the beginning of my Journey.  But, in fact it is a 'journey' that is unique to each of our individual lives.  There is not a specific or pre-determined destination.  That's up to you to discover as you find your way. You already received some great Encouragement here.  I hope stay with us, and you will both discover and contribute.  Deeps breaths ... one step at a time
    • KayC
      Fortunate we have some Gatekeepers out there still.
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...