Ten months ago, Bree H. let her hair down and began her transition from man to woman.
"It was a small step," said Bree, 54, of Gainesville. "All I did was pull my hair out of my ponytail. But looking back, it was a big step for me. I was a wreck before."
Now she smiles and drinks wine in the cafe behind Wild Iris Books as she swaps stories with other members of the Gainesville Transgender Support Group.
Founded in 2001 as a safe place for transgender people, the Gainesville Transgender Support Group (GTSG) meets on the first Wednesday of every month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to discuss issues resonating with the transgender community.
"It's nice to be around people who are like me," said 22-year-old Alexia, who asked not to disclose any of the members' last names.
The GTSG was originally run by transmen - biological women who have transitioned into men - but now it includes a variety of differing sexual identities, orientations and backgrounds, according to Alexia.
"Everyone is welcome, even if you don't identify with being transgender," she said.
Topics range from the coming-out process to facial electrolysis.
"I thought facial hair was fun when I could have it, but when you're transitioning, you can't really pull off the bearded lady look," Alexia said.
In her six months of transitioning, Alexia, a former football player and wrestler, said she has faced difficulty changing perceptions of transgender people.
"I don't like girly things," she said. "Sometimes I like to wear a man's shirt and boots. It's fun to mix it up."
But nothing can cover the dark realities that transgender people face on a daily basis.
"Sometimes it does become extremely rough," Alexia said. "Sometimes, some people are suicidal because they can't transition, or they are thrown out of their house. We offer a safe place where people can go. We always try to help each other out."
EDIT 2/13/10: The Alligator initially refered to Bree H. by the pronoun "he." This has been corrected to "she," as Bree's gender is feminine. In other instances, wording in this article was change to remove misrepresentation.
