As I wrote in one of my first posts, I spent years not understanding the incongruence I felt with my body. Even worse, I felt alone.
When I was growing up, being trans wasn’t something that was talked about. It was something you had to find out more about yourself by doing your own research.
Now that being trans has unfortunately been politicized, it’s something that nearly everyone who’s been present for a news cycle in the last decade is aware of. But prior to that? I felt like we were ghosts. No real attention on us one way or the other. And no attention meant there was little support as well.
So here was little Morgan, looking for anyone, nevermind a whole community, that felt as I did. In person, there was no chance I would. Not in the small town I grew up in. On the internet, maybe.
But looking back, I think I was even a little scared to find one. I asked myself:
What if I feel like a fraud? What if they don’t like me? What if our stories aren’t quite the same? Will I even be accepted?
These questions are natural, but misplaced. There have always been welcoming communities around if you know where to look for them.
You just need the courage to actually join one.
So that brings me to the point of this post, and that is the importance of having community. We’re social creatures, us humans are. We long for connection. We don’t need (or hell, even want to be) the most popular person around.
But we do crave love and acceptance. It’s part of the human condition.
The good part of joining a community, especially a trans or other LGBT+ community, is that the love and support come as a package deal.
When my wife and I had decided to move to Charlotte, one of the first things I did was find a community there. I had decided that regardless of what stage of transition I’d ever be in (if at all, I thought at the time) that I wanted a community.
I wanted others to connect with, to have others to share my thoughts and feelings, and embrace theirs in return.
So I joined Transcend. I feel very fortunate to be in a place where I’ve made so many friends with and met so many other trans folks here that I’ve never felt alone through this whole process.
They’re encouraging, supportive, authentic, and overall just great people to be around.
If you don't already have one, I hope you can find a local support group. I’d try just using Google to find one by typing “trans support group (your city and/or state)” and just drop by their Discord channel, or whatever online community they’ve established for themselves, and see what it’s like.
I don’t think you’ll regret it.
To all of my friends who might read this, I just want to say thank you for your continued support through this journey of mine. Living authentically has impacted me in ways you may never know.
Thank you for being you.
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