TransFamily of Erie is Expanding

No matter what your feelings are on Caitlyn Jenner, there is no disputing that she is having a very positive impact on our community. She may not know all the right things to say yet, but she is working hard on learning. No one can ask for more than that. Aside from Chaz Bono, she is by far the most high profile person ever to come out as transgender, and she is challenging a lot of people's thinking on what it means to be male or female.

Locally, her coming out is making a difference. Since her appearance on ABC with Diane Sawyer, and the resulting local media attention, TransFamily of Erie has doubled in size. Most interesting is the explosion of attendance by trans youth, as well as people from the more rural areas of NW PA. Launched in February 2013, TransFamily started with about eight people, many of whom were already out and part of the Erie Sisters and Brothers. Since then, our group has grown to roughly 60 attendees, with our largest single attendance of 36 in June! Our attendees come from all over northwest PA and northeast OH.

While this growth has been an unexpected and encouraging development, it has also presented challenges that we have not faced before. Managing a group of this size can be daunting, but we are working on ways to make it more beneficial to everyone who attends, such as splitting up into breakout sessions when attendance warrants it. Another way we are working to manage growth is by creating satellite groups in outlying areas to assist people who cannot travel to Erie.

With that in mind, we are happy to announce that beginning in October, we will be holding monthly meetings in Meadville, PA. Meetings will be held on the second Saturday of each month from 2-5pm on the second floor of Counseling Corner, which is located at 898 Park Avenue in Meadville. The first meeting will occur on October 10. For more information, please contact Richelle Kohler at richellekohler@hotmail.com. 

In addition, to better serve the transgender youth in our area, we are starting another group called TransFamily Youth. The group will provide a safe space for local transgender, non-binary, and gender fluid youth, as well as their allies to discuss their challenges and work on building self-awareness and the confidence to live as their authentic selves.  Details for this group are still being worked out, so please watch for more information. I invite you to like our group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TransfamilyOfErie for up to date information and to leave comments, questions, relevant news and info, or just to start a discussion!