|
Then a month like this past September or October come around, when everyone’s schedule seems to synchronize, a number of new members peek inside the doors, the planets all align and scores of pixies fly out and sing “I Am Beautiful”.
OK, so I made up the part about the planets and pixies. Still, it’s pretty exciting when you’ve got a large group and/or some new faces! It’s like a family holiday, only without the food fights and bickering. Er, OK, maybe just without the bickering.
Why do meetings matter? They matter mainly because there are so few of us. If a poorly attended meeting seems empty, a life without meetings can seem even emptier. We start to think “I’m the only one like me,” and “I don’t fit in anywhere”. That’s a bad road to start walking down.
I remember when I first “came out” as transgender. My life literally fell apart around me and within a year I had lost most of my relationships with family and friends, my job, my home and nearly even my freedom. The only one thing I could depend on was attending GLBTQ meetings at a local university. Were it not for those meetings, I’m not sure I could say for certain that I’d still be alive today. I do know for sure I would be pretty messed up. (I mean “more than I am now”, Marla.)
Now I attend meetings not because -I- need them, but because others still do. And there will likely be “others who still do” for many years to come, until our culture finally gets around to recognizing that the binary gender system doesn’t work for everyone and make some adjustments.
So, if you haven’t attended a meeting yet, make some time and come join us! Or if you were feeling like you might skip the next one, think about the time where a meeting was all you had - what if no one else had shown up? Yes, there are always time when we need to stay home, or attend to other matters... but I encourage you to consider whether the reason you’re -not- attending is as good as the reason you should.
Hope to see you at the next meeting!
|
