Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with a new trans woman acquaintance. She is a young woman I met through discussions on another forum and we met at a mutually convenient restaurant.

We had a delightful conversation, covering both our histories, our jobs and pop culture. Happy to say, I made a new friend.

And this is exactly the sort of results I hope for others here on this sub.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I believe the transgender community is so much stronger when we form friendships through face-to-face meetings. For me, that usually comes in the form of lunches that I propose to other trans people I've encountered online. It's difficult at times to break through and get them to trust my outreach, but generally they agree. And I can say that each time I've come away feeling uplifted and reaffirmed and I hope my lunch companion does as well.

Personal interactions are incredibly important in all person's lives, not just transgender people. I'm naturally a loner and in my younger years, I rigorously kept to myself. The reason for that is something you can understand: I just never "fit in" with most groups of cis people. Outnumbered by multiples, I was always the guy (and yes, I as still a "guy" in those years) in the corner at a party, quietly surveying the goings-on.

Nobody that I knew at the time was gay, and certainly not transgender. So, I withdrew into myself and the only outward expression of my inner self came in the way of my edgy clothing choices. Satins and silks and sequins, when I could get away with it. But such fashion choices isolated me even more from the staid cis "normals" I associated with.

I can honestly say it wasn't until the advent of the internet that I began to blossom. Finally, incrementally, I found individuals like me in cyberspace. Slowly, a confidence grew inside me. I wasn't the only person in the world dealing with this inner turmoil. I WAS part of a group, even though I had never met any of them in real life.

That had to change. Internet connections were wonderful, but I craved human interaction. Sitting across from another flesh-and-blood person who was living my experience, my life. I was fortunate to meet a few over the years, but those meeting were very few and far between. So, earlier this year, I began initiating meet-ups, casual, platonic chats over coffee or lunch. As an added incentive, I generally treat for the meal. To this point, each such meet-up has been all I could have hope for. I feel stronger each time and more a part of a community than I have felt before.

Which is why you see me prattle on about setting up lunches and coffee klatches and touting any sort of group interaction within the local Michigan trans community I find. In fact, at my lunch yesterday, my new friend mentioned several Facebook groups that may of interest to people on this sub.

Both are in Washtenaw County, but I'm sure other communities have similar Facebook groups. The first is Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Nonbinary and Trans Folx: https://www.facebook.com/groups/314333076398618

And the second is Ypsilanti Rainbow Neighbors: https://www.facebook.com/groups/179866272097667

Thankfully, both groups are private, which should lessen the chance of transphobes and chasers taking them over.

There are also local Discords dedicated to our community to which my new friend belongs. I'll post those when she sends me invites via Discord. If you are unfamiliar with that platform (which, until recently, I was as well), you need an invitation from someone already a member before you can join. You may want to check with people in your own peer group if they belong to any Discords and can send you an invite.

For my part, I'm still going to extend my invitations to our sub's members to join me for lunch, or even just coffee if you're so inclined. I want to meet you all and to build our community. Even if I'm doing it just one person at at time.

Hope to meet you soon!

--- Anni