GenderLife Forum: The Information Exchange

i want to get out of this area when i retire in 7.5 years.i know los angeles is big,seattle,philadelphia,scottsdale and i was in san francisco and didnt see any other trans people except at the cacoon house.i like san diego but it is expensive to live there.i will probably move to los angeles.i heard they are starting a gay and lesbian retirement home.

Well, u wont find any in Norway..thats for sure.

I would have though the Bay area and Orange County were the most populated with trans people. Something like 10,000 trans people each in both places. Of course that would make them the bottom of most peoples post transition league tables.

In San Francisco, I can barely make a trip to the grocery store without encountering another transwoman. Sometimes when I go to work on the bus, there's at least 3 of us riding. There are several transgender support groups--some are better than others. The problem here is everyone knows there are lots of transwomen about, and so they all play a game of "Where's Waldo?", spot the transsexual in the crowd. which makes it the hardest place to blend in. My therapist is an xF (GG) who is a lesbian slightly on the butch side, but with double-D breasts--she gets called "sir" almost every week. That all can make you very self-conscious. So that's San Francisco--a big trans community, lots of legal protection for trans people, but a very difficult place to be trans if you just want to quietly blend in.

There are already a few established LGBT retirement homes in the Bay Area (but much more LGB than T).

New York City has a pretty good community, without the 'Spot Waldo' thing. London too, from what I hear.

wait wait wait what?!?!

I live in OC...and I'm like "helllo -ello-ello-llo-llo-o-o-o-o-o!? i anybody out there-ere-ere-re-re-r-r-r-e-e-e-?!"

I dunno where you got the T-stats..but i feel like i'm the only one out here, but a friend from florida just told me yesterday that she had always thought OC was a popular place for the trans community...

i could be wrong..but i haven't seen em!

In Canada, Montréal by far.

How bout anywhere in Upper Michigan. I believe there is a grand total of 7 of us. And incredibly cheap to live at.

I doubt you could find a better place for an out transwoman than Los Angeles or San Fransisco.

Yeah but the Big One is coming. Montréal is safer.

If the opportunity came where I would have a job and a home, I would move to canada in a second.

But it's kinda cold. Even in summer we get arctic winds from time to time.

So if you hail from a warm area in the USA and you're used to wearing skirts and shorts year round, coming here means good-bye to that (except in July/August).

I have been to Vancouver before. Loved it. It was like washington, except not bush land.

i like Pink's song "Dear Mr President"

I love bikinis and short shorts so Florida is a natural for me. I moved here in 1980 because I did not enjoy winter weather and heat doesn't bother me (unless I am wearing wool).

Down here you have a choice of the Lauderdale area which has a whole sector that is very glbt owned. Pm Vivianne cause she is a wonderful wealth of knowledge and can help with that area. Tampa on the west coast also has a fairly large community although I have never connected with it. I live south of Tampa about 2 hours in a coastal area known for its Bush support if that gives you any idea of the cultural climate. I have not had any problems being "confronted" by the locals. Even though its conservative and in spots highly "redneck" people seem for the most part genuinely courteous. I go out to eat and shop with no hassles and few "looks". I guess thats stealth by general public ignorance - LOL. I do know that there are several retirement centers and more being developed to serve the Gay retirees. My ex says I should look into managing one as a retirement transition job.

Good luck in your search.

Seattle is definitely a huge place for tfolk...

Portland Or. is good too. And Olympia Wa (Evergreen State College and the Capitol draw in a lot of LGBT folk there)

You mean they go to school, in Olympia?

heh

I went to Amsterdam because I thought it would be a far better place to transition and be TS than rural France. It wasn't! I notice a lot of people have this misconception than liberal places are supportive of TS. Places like Amsterdam are very tolerant, but tolerance is not support, I can find tolerance by being a good person other people want to know almost anywhere. I found the slow way that support and acceptance is rarely freely granted , it is earned.

I used to be resentful that I transitioned away from TS centers like SF or LA, but after reading or hearing about experiences from many of you and others IRL I am glad I didn't.

IME, if you pull your own weight and don't mess with ppl, conservative neighbourhoods are Just Fine.

I keep thinking about moving to Canada (in theory in two years I will qualify as “highly skilled” meaning I could get a work visa).

Back in the USA, I have found that Boston/Cambridge/JP is an extremely accepting area.

Western Mass is also quite lovely if you are looking for something more rural. Western Mass, is generally very gender progressive. This can actually be a bit of a problem because people are so attuned to gender queer issues that you actually get in fighting (I am more trans then you, or I am more woman then you). I have heard that this is more problemantic for FtM then for us. I always felt very safe when I lived out there (and that was before hormones, so I looked very male even when I was in girl mode)

Yah, you learn something new every day...

Santa Cruz, California. FTM capital of the world.

Laci

The "Being Me" group is in Orange County. I have been to several of their meetings and one of their christmas parties. They are not a huge group in my opinion, but they are there nonetheless.

Check them out. I don't have their web site handy but Im sure there are people on the forum that do.

Pam

well thats a good question isnt it ?

i have another question

do you want to be a part of the transsexual community and be known and labelled as a transsexual ?

as i dont i had srs to be me complete and blend in as a woman
not as a ts to be honest

Hmm, ya wanna go to bumf'ck, Wherever. Don't be coward! Stay in nowheresville, it's good for what ails ya.

Thailand would be the unofficial "World Capital" for Transsexuals. However since you are asking about North America. New York City, San Fransisco, Boston, Chicago, LA, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit. During my travels I've been to these cities and met some other transsexual people there. As for Canada "The Forgotten Country" Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

I would say that the Top Transsexual communities are Overseas. They are so much more liberal than The United States and Canada.

So I would move to a city, or town that you really like. Transsexual are everywhere. Not just in the Big Cities.

i dunno, as a nyc resident, i see little, if any, sense of 'community.' sure, there are plenty of trans people, but there's nothing holding that group together for better or worse.

Well Conneticutt is nice and has a lot of resources for transitioning. There are numerous support groups and something is always going on. There are therapists available. The only shortage currently is endocronologists. There is a real good FFS surgeon in Boston and a SRS surgeon over in Pa.

I've been to western Mass for a few transgender support events and I belong to a group in central Mass. (its too far to drive there during the meetings which are held on weekdays at lunch)