Residential Round-Up

by Paula & Lauren

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Since the last issue of Polare there have been quite a few changes at the residential project of the Gender Centre.

Three girls have moved out and are established in their own apartments. They enjoyed their stay with us and expressed their thanks for the support they were given. Although we will all miss them, it's great to see people attain the confidence and ability to live independently. We certainly hope that they will stay involved with the centre.

The number of residents didn't stay low for very long, with some lovely new residents having come to join us we currently have seven residents between the two houses.

We would like to thank all of the people involved with Trocadero 77 for their efforts in raising money for the residential project. So far we have purchased microwave ovens for both of the houses and are now deciding what else we can spend the money on wisely.

Over the past 10 weeks we have been holding fortnightly dinners alternating between the two residents houses and the resource centre at Petersham. The host house provides the meal. Lea, Camille, myself and the residents have been enjoying these nights immensely and apart from the food we've been enjoying some group discussions, on issues relevant to transgender people.

The residents plan to be involved in the barbecues at The Gender Centre over the summer months and we hope to plan some more outings.

Having recently arrived from the country, and now a resident at one of the Gender Centre's residences, all I can say is; "what a relief". Finally I can live my life for me. That may sound strange but I come from a conservative background and the process of "coming out" has been long and traumatic. Although I'm sure each of us has been or is going through the same.

The support I have received from the community workers at The Gender Centre has been tremendous. I find it amazing after so many years in the wilderness, that there are people out there actually willing to help. They are organised and leave no stone unturned to find out information.

The main point I have noticed since arriving in Sydney, (and this may sound a bit naïve to anyone born and bred in the city), is the amount of services people with gender issues have available to them. By services I mean anything from having the top doctors to a sympathetic electrolysist. Let me assure you that our country cousins are in a far more vulnerable position. Anonymity is virtually non-existent in the smaller country towns and it is not always easy to up and leave for the city.

Another point of interest has been meeting lots of interesting people, each with a different background. We all seem to be coming from different directions, but have a single unifying point, in that we want to change. I can't help thinking that transgendering must be a confusing subject to people not affected by it. No two stories are the same, but each contain similarities we can understand. There doesn't seem to be a pigeon hole that we fit into, little wonder the various lobby groups are frustrated with bureaucratic red tape which insists that everything must be categorised.

Finally, anyone out there who has gender issues and hasn't done anything about it; "get help". It is available. You will find, as I have, that a great burden is lifted from you and a problem that was yours alone doesn't exist any more. Your acquaintances, be they family or friends, now have the problem. They must deal with it, you are finally free.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.