Major Announcement About Transgender Infrastructure

[Guest]

It has long been my dream to help Transgender people well beyond the scope of this site and suicide prevention. This is a wishlist I made up long ago as to areas I want to get into too http://www.lauras-playground.com/transgender_wishes.htm . Today is a new dawn for the Transgendered Community and Laura's Playground. Promising developments occured today that will make some of those dreams a reality. The best part is the proposed projects will not be LGBT run. They will be run by the Transgendered for the Transgendered for the first time. Plans are being drawn up now and committees being formed. Finally the Transgendered will have an infrastructure of our own seperate and independent.

I am sorry I can't give you full details yet but I wanted to share my excitement with all of you. 2008 is going to be the start of something wonderful for transgendered people everywhere. That you can count on. Just remember it all started here and you were there the very first day. WOW!!!!!!

Laura Amato

Laura's Playground

[MaryEllen]

Laura, you never cease to amaze me. I like the fact that we would have our own seperate infrastructure and not be a part of the LBGT. I share in your excitement.

MaryEllen

[Guest catie]

hi laura

i love what you are doing for all of us.

lots of love catie

[Guest Michelle M]

I can't even begin to guess what it is, or know what's going on, but I'm happy to hear it. Laura, I'd like to thank you for putting up this site and all the hard work you and your staff do for it. It really changed my life, and I've met so many wonderful friends here. It may well have indirectly prevented my suicide, which might have been coming within the next few years because of sheer confusion or lack of support.

[Guest Alexander]

Well now I'm all excited and impatient to know what's going down!

Of course, any developements would be wonderful!

[Guest]

In an ideal world we would all use the same infrastructure. Of course we all know it is not ideal. Minority groups often get left by the wayside. When the "T" was added to LGB it was thought with larger numbers their would be more political clout and of course money. The intentions were good. When it came to crunch time many LGBT organizations did support us. However the one with all the political clout and money "HRC" willfully and intentionally abandoned us in The Enda hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. We were left to fend for ourselves in a sea of Predators bent on keeping us under a rock. Congressman complained about the lack of data on Transgender people. Even the FBI does not keep statistics on us. Research on us is sparse. The latest was done by homophobe, transphobe Michael Baily who picked his 6 subjects in a gay bar. Few have done more harm to us. The LGB ENDA version sought to keep Gays and Lesbians from being fired. Meanwhile 70% of Transgender people are unemployed and never had the chance to get fired. TG homeless get turned away from shelters or forced to live in their born gender. Most disturbing is that we can't even pee in peace and forget a shower. We are tossed out of both restrooms. Our list of dead grows. 31 to 50% die by their own hand. In a survey done here of a thousand plus Transsexual people 50% of us have had at least 1 suicide attempt by their 20th birthday. Our teens get tossed onto the street by homophobic parents. EMT;s and some medical personnel have even refused to treat some of us until recently. All of this has happened while being members of the LGBT. LGB may not be to blame but with these numbers it is very clear that we are not getting the help that we need. There is but one solution. We must band together and provide our own funds, Our own care, our own housing and shelters, our own medical and mental health care, our own suicide prevention and support. We also need to lobby for our own laws. In short, we need to stop the traditional Transgender group infighting and take care of ourselves. We need to support each other from the crossdresser to the transsexual. Together we can make our own clout.

In April of 2004 I launched Laura's Playground to start taking care of our own Transgendered people. Presently we have had over 4 million vistiors. My first step was to tackle our suicide issues I started a suicide prevention online program just for us. It has been wildy successfull and our fine staff has saved thousands of lives here. Our record in prevention is impecable. The next step was to include all Transgender groups. Hundreds of articles have been written from information gleaned from transcripts, forums and hundreds of thoudands of emails and Instant messages and each user with a personal story of heartache and pain. What we have gained is the knowledge of what transgender people need to thrive. I wrote my wishlist is 2005. In 2006 we set up the structure for researchers to study and research us. Doctoral studendents and Universities are responding. Last year we started doing research surveys with the highest number of Transgender respondents ever done. In addition we've set up private forums for therapists, researchers, and medical people. This site has the pulse of a trangender community much larger than anyone ever thought. We've dispelled many myths. We hired a Psychologist as a consultant and will add more professionals this year.

The abandonment by HRC may have been one of the best things that could happen to us. Transgendered people have had enough. This is the year we will stand on our own two feet. We will do this whether a promising deal works out or not. Every day we see the needs of our users most of whom ask for nothing though their needs are great. Sometimes it;s simply therapy for a suicidal user who cannot afford it. Recently 2 TG users were burned out of their home at Christmas time. Users immediatly set up a clothing drive and sent what they could. Karen and Sharleah who run our chat rooms have taken a few TG homeless into their homes. Their electric was turned off, food was scarce. With a generator and help from users here they survived the month. This is where it all starts in our 4 million strong community. It's the little things we do that matter even if all we can do is support each other with a kind word. Sure millions of dollars would help but we do what we can.

This year this site is going to set up a non profit fund for our own transgender people to help in emergencies like the above. For some it might mean a simple bag of groceries, for others something else, at least at first. As the fund grows there will be other possibilities. Certainly it not likely to help fund GRS for anyone but in time it might get a therapist for someone about to die by their own hand who can't afford one. These are things we can do ourselves. The wishlist will become a reality with or without a benefactor. The only question now if it will be sooner or later.

Laura

[Guest Rika-chama]

This is wonderful news. Laura thank you for everything you have done for us transgender people

Ni-paa~

[Guest Joanna]

i like the way this is going.

[Guest AlexJ]

Laura, you are a ....

[Guest Cindy_cd]

Thank You Laura.

[Guest Louise]

Please add My thanks as well Laura, and keep up all this good work that you do.

[Guest silverpetals]

i'm sure this will do so much to improve the lives of so many tg people who are struggling, i can only really say this from my own perspective, but thanks so much for caring about people in the tg population who are finding it hard to cope

i'm sure this will help so many people in need. laura you're awesome

[Guest Steph2115]

Laura,

I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done here. For the first time I found people that truly understand what i go through everyday. Your site has so much information and support. Your site and everyone on it have brought a new joy to my life. Thank you ever so much! I am glad to be part of the family.

Stephanie