There is a special little hell here in the LGBT community of Colorado that is actually started and endorsed by people of the same community. Of course, I speak of the Gender Identity Centre and while there are plenty of good, hard-working people at the Gender Identity Centre, there are quite a few assholes - like the facilitator of the Tuesday night support groups, teeg. Let me just say that ultimately, I have purposely tried to avoid going to the Tuesday night support groups because of the fact that while I like and respect other facilitators like Tina, Spring Marie and Beth, there is one that is the most deserving of my outrage and vitriol. The evil she-devil known as Teeg, or TG Spirit (on the public GIC website). No amount nor intensity of words could ever exclaim what tuesday night support groups are like with her, but I can give you a quick summary.
My first meeting was made ever so memorable by Teeg’s reaction to my announcement that I would not see a therapist due to the fact that I do not feel that I need to, and it would be a waste of money to me. She basically told me that ultimately, the rate of suicide is higher for people who are not following the standards of care and that nothing I could do for myself would help lower the rate of suicidal tendencies (if there were any) in me. I walked away from that meeting angry but I did meet Chroma and her beautiful girlfriend (for whom I accidentally mistaken as her daughter, sorry Chroma!). They were nice enough to give me a ride home and I think the world of Chroma.
Yesterday was a little bit different. This would be the second GIC group that I went to and I decided that ultimately, I would not let Teeg get to me. I started to try to brace myself for the fact that ultimately, she was going to work hard to emotionally tear me down to nothing. I told her that I was considering seeing a therapist, not for trans issues, and I told her about my doctor that was going to perform the surgery and how he did not require letters. And like clockwork, she tore away my doctor’s credibility in her own mind telling me in no uncertain terms that she thought he was a chop shop doctor and that ultimately, I would not be surprised to wake up in the alleys of Thailand cut up and writhing in pain. Also, another girl that I met at the meetings (who I initially met at Auraria’s GLBT Student Services Office) told me that she thought that I needed to see a therapist and that my doctor was basically unqualified because of the slideshow of failure photos that she was shown by Dr. Bowers. Yeah, let’s just say that this revelation made me think even less highly of Dr. Bowers than I had previously thought.
Maybe it’s just me coming from the Houston TG community where transsexual people and the facilitators in the group did not act like demons and act as if they were about to jump off of their couch, reach over to you and pull out your jugular. Cristan Williams, Lilly Roddy and Carolyn Bosma were actually respectful, mature people who work really well with the community and do wonderful things, which is surprising. However, here in Colorado, where I receive much less opposition to being trans, I receive a lot more within the trans support groups. But in Houston, where I receive much more opposition to being trans, the trans community is stronger, thriving and ultimately, better managed and funded. I mean, it’s not like we had a Gill Foundation grant in Houston, but we did have lots of transsexual people who cared enough about the groups and the support provided to give as we could.
I talked with Lilly Roddy and the TG community did not just come together overnight, but took years and years of activism. I would like to say the biggest starting point was the hard and enduring work of Phyllis Frye working to repeal the anti-crossdressing laws in Houston. The new TG Centre that they have down there and the supportive, large groups that come every Monday (or is it Tuesday) night happen to be some of the nicest, warmest people I have ever met. I thank them for their kindness and support during all of my tribulations and I wish them all the very best of luck and love. I believe that the sacrifice of people, especially the Bering United Methodist Church, which provides low-cost psychotherapy services for the TG/TS community as well as a space for the HTGA meetings, to the TG Social meetings that were held at a shop not too unlike Studio Lites in Denver.
I feel that ultimately, Teeg is one of the worst people the GIC could possibly have facilitating a support group. She is completely and utterly unmerciful and totally hateful of anyone who does not share her opinions or views.
