About this blog

“Come out, come out wherever you are!”

That could be the slogan for the newly-formed Amarillo Transgender Support Group. Yes, we know you’re hiding around here somewhere, and it’s high time you poked your nose out of the closet and smelled the coffee. Some sources estimate that as much as 5% of our nation’s population is transgender to one degree or another, which means there are about 10,000 of us in Amarillo, not to mention the surrounding area. 10,000. That’s a sizable army, or a small town even! But when is the last time you saw one of “us” around town? And if you’re one of “us”, how many sisters or brothers do you know personally? When was the last time you were able to “present” to another person or in public, to interact with others in the persona you know is just dying to get out? When was the last time you had a meaningful dialog with another person about what you’re going through, what your dreams and desires are? Go ahead and think about it, we’ll wait right here …

. . . . . . . . . .

Yeah, that’s what we thought. You see, we happen to know a thing or two about what it’s like to be transgender (cuz we be tg!), and if there’s anything we know, it’s that nearly all of us crave human interaction. We want to have a better understanding of ourselves, and we want to be understood and accepted. So what’s stopping us? All too often, it’s fear, and all too often, our fear is a combination of myth, paranoia and stereotypes mixed up with a measure of reasonable reservations. It’s a recipe for frustration, and that’s no good.

Sooooo … yeah, Amarillo Transgender Support Group (ATGSG). What we have in mind is sort of a meeting of the minds, a line of communication, a channel for good ol’ human interaction for TGs here in the Texas panhandle region. A safe place to gather, someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, a resource center, a good time waiting to happen, that sort of thing, complete with regular group meetings, informal outings, special events, affiliations with other area organizations and special-interest groups, and anything else we can think of.

ATGSG is very much about putting some skin on the fantasies and head games, which means in-person interaction, and we hope that sooner or later you’ll join us. But ATSG is also about communication even when it can’t be in person, so consider this blog to be our first effort at establishing the dialog. We’ll be fleshing out a more robust Web site in the foreseeable future. Until then, check in often to see what we’re gabbing about, and to toss in your own two cents worth as well.

Oh yeah, one more thing — right now, “we” pretty much boils down to Sandra Dunn and Sherri Bennett, two Amarillo-based mtf TGs, founding sisters of the Group and your go-to gurls for the time being. We’ll both be blogging here and getting to know the rest of you ASAP. There’s no telling what we’ll be talking about, but we’ll try to keep it topical, useful and entertaining. Ttyl.