October social support meeting: Topic: On Hold: Between Decision and Action At times all of us have had to wait for something we really, really wanted.  Some of us are still waiting!  This often happens with regard to gender-related changes, but there are many other things that can be put “on-hold.” For some, the "hold" is due to finances. For others, it may be about prioritizing family or career. Others still may find that fear or medical conditions stand in their way. We’ll talk about the reasons people end up on hold, but we’ll focus mostly on what to do about it:  creative ways to jump over actual or perceived hurdles AND ways to handle your emotions when there really isn’t anything you can do about being “on hold.”   Open rap is from 6:00 - 7:15pm Open rap is the time to connect connection with fellow Trans+ and SOFFA individuals. This gently facilitated time […]

November's Social Support meeting Topic: Narratives: Exploring, Creating, and Recreating Self-Concept Many of us spend hundreds of hours contemplating our gender and consciously (or unconsciously) creating narratives that explain our past, current, and future gendered reality.  When narratives are shared with others, they can become immutable, resulting in a quandary of how we can change and continue to re-define ourselves without others (or ourselves) binding us to a fixed moment in time.  How do we consciously create an identity that is known and shown to the world - through friendships, family relationships, co-workers, and via social media?  What happens when we discover our narratives are incongruent with the narratives others have created for and about us?     Open rap is from 6:00 - 7:15pm Open rap is the time to connect connection with fellow Trans+ and SOFFA individuals. This gently facilitated time is especially devoted to exploring the issues you bring in – sharing […]

December's "meeting" = Holiday party Join FORGE members on December 22, 2012 for a holiday social event.  In place of our regular talk-focused meeting, we will share food, casual conversation, music, and games. Please bring food or non-alcoholic beverages to share.  If you have music you would enjoy listening to, please also bring CDs, MP3 players, speakers so others can enjoy, too.

January's social support meeting: "The Aggressives" (film) Description: The Aggressives, a 2005 film by Daniel Peddle, is a rarely explored documentary about six self-defined "aggressives" -- primarily African-American individuals assigned female at birth who express themselves in uniquely masculine ways.  The film powerfully explores their lives and examines gender in ways that are not often part of traditional trans-narratives. Black History Month -- February -- is just around the corner.  In previous years, we have screened films like "Paris is Burning" and "How Do I Look?"  This film -- The Aggressives -- highlights the "flip side" of some gendered identities and expressions within African-American communities. A discussion will follow the film.   Open rap is from 6:00 - 7:15pm Open rap is the time to connect connection with fellow Trans+ and SOFFA individuals. This gently facilitated time is especially devoted to exploring the issues you bring in – sharing your experiences and stories, asking questions, […]

April's social support meeting: The Trans Policy presentation and discussion slated for April 27, 2013's meeting has been canceled. Although the meeting is formerly canceled, several regular members will be at the Community Center (1110 N. Market Street, 2nd floor, Milwaukee, WI) and will hold open discussion space for anyone who wants to drop by.  The meeting space will be available from 6:00pm until approximately 9:00pm for people to drop in, chat, support each other, network, laugh and connect. The Trans Policy topic will be rescheduled for later in the year.