Visalia-based LGBT+ resource center The Source hosts its Transcending Gender peer support group on the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, at 109 NW 2nd Avenue in Visalia. The number of attendees varies quite a bit; with the state of the weather, last Wednesday’s group had roughly 6 six individuals including myself, and not including either of the two supervisors. Meetings have had as many as 20 visitors taking turns speaking and thoughtfully acknowledging each other. The event offers an array of free sanitary and contraceptive sexual health materials. Expect refreshments as well!

Transcending Gender is not individualized therapy, and should not be sought as a substitution for mental health services. The peer support mechanism offers what many of us queer people struggle to find: a space to be heard. The group follows guidelines to organize the conversation and be sure no one is spoken over. An underlined guideline, as stated by event supervisor Mars Sailor, is that “what’s said stays, and what’s learned leaves.” In short, everything said is confidential, and the lessons are free!

Some members are mere days away from starting a new life in a new state; others are college students attending casually. Regardless of your direction in life, there’s room for you to be acknowledged. You can also be a comfort to your peers by simply listening, understanding, and being there in your seat for them. The space may be an opportunity to speak, but the importance of listening shines through in the moment. An underrated and somewhat therapeutic aspect of peer-to-peer support is getting grounded by the stories told and even the vulnerability offered to you.

As a non-binary student, I will confess that it’s hard to find verbal discourse on Agenderism with my peers, for the simple fact that it’s unfamiliar to most, and we students don’t always meet with much time before class or departure. The stimulating conversation I had with the wider group at Transcending Gender was relieving to find, and the space is open for all to speak on the goal of truly transcending gender.

The many resources that The Source offers for Transgender folks can be found here!