Web Site Directory
Thank you for visiting our new website. Like any modern business or organization, thanks to the Internet, we want to give you the opportunity to stay in touch with the very latest News, Services, Support and Information. We will update our site as soon as new information is available.
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Renaissance Background Papers
From Renaissance National
The Following Links will provide information on various transgender issues.
If these papers have been of assistance to you please consider making a donation to
Renaissance to support our efforts. Visit our Giving Page tofind the best
method to offer your support.
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Our Goal and Purpose
Safe Space for All Transgender People
Gender Education for Transgender People
Gender Education for Helping Professionals
Gender Education for the General Public
Develop Local Support Organizations
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What is
Renaissance of South East Pa.
Renaissance of South Eastern Pa. ( ROSE ) is a social and educational non-profit organization for crossdressers, transsexuals, and their supporters. Its goal is to provide social and educational opportunities, as well as peer support, for its members. It seeks to promote a positive self-image for crossdressers and transsexuals in the general public. Ren SEP is not a dating service or a therapy group. Each member is responsible for his or her own conduct, and is expected to conduct himself in an appropriate manner.
Monthly Meeting times
Meetings are held in Mountville, Pa, and York, Pa ....Please click on the cities where meetings are held for more information about meeting times and locations ..... The doors will open at 7:30 PM and the meeting will be called to order between 8:30 and 9 P.M to 11:00 P.M. A small $5 donation is requested when attending meetings but no one will ever be turned away for not donating. Parking is plentiful and close to the building in a secure, low traffic area. Smoking is permitted outside . Light refreshments are provided, but no alcoholic beverages are permitted. The doors open at 7:30 PM for anyone needing facilities to dress. We adjourn by 11:00 PM.What does
Renaissance of South Eastern Pa. (ROSE)
Do
Ren. of South East Pa. exists to serve its membership by offering safe, semi-public activities for members so that they may meet others with similar interests, build their confidence, perfect their presentation, and help them to become comfortable in the gender role which they prefer. Ren. of South East Pa also provides assistance to spouses, significant others, family, and friends in coping with and understanding crossdressing and transexualism. It can provide information and professional referrals for those who are seeking them or are interested in finding out about crossgender behavior and transexualism.
We are here to help each other understand and express our gender identity, to gain self-acceptance, to reach out to others like ourselves, and to educate the professional community and the public at large about transgenderism. We do our best to provide, guidence, support and informative subject matter for those seeking help understanding Transgenderism, Crossdressing, and Transexualism. We exist to provide help with anyone who is having difficulty couping with their second self, their transgendered life. Who Can Join REN - SEP
Membership in REN SEP is open to Crossdressers, Transsexuals, Drag Queens, Spouses, Significant Others, and Supportive Families who are of legal age, regardless of gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation. REN SEP meetings are held on the Second Friday of each month. Other activities and services at times include picnics in the summer months, Group Outings, Seasonal Parties and more. In the future a book and video lending library, and a monthly newsletter, from The Reniassance Group.
What can I expect?
We seek to provide a safe, secure, and supportive environment to all, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or religion. Our meetings provide a place for our members to share their experiences and problems, and to obtain advice and encouragement. They are not a place for unaccompanied minors or mere curiosity seekers. We are not a dating service. The use of alcohol or drugs, sexual activity, and disruptive conduct are strictly prohibited at our functions.
How Do I Join
If you would like to join Renaissance SEP just send an E-mail to anyone in the Contact Section of the Web Site or send an E-mail to the Managing Director ... Michelle Lynn GreyGeather at woppaginny@aol.com or the Web Mistress at WebMistress@RenaissanceSEP.org ......... Please give your name ( Feminine Name ), ( Masculine Name ) and or your birth name ( birth name is strictly voluntary ), E-mail address and if possible your phone number ( giving your phone number is strictly voluntary ) and a brief message that you would like to become a member and someone will immediately get in touch with you. It would be nice if you could also include if you are a Crossdresser, Male to Female, Female to Male, Post Op or Pre OP or in Transition. Any information you can give us about yourself will help us to understand who you are and how we can better help you if you are joining to seek help and or Guidance or even just for Socializing. But, information about yourself is strictly voluntary. You can just simply come to one of the meetings also and let us know you wish to become a member or print a Membership Application form our Web Site using the Printable Membership Application and send it to Renaissance of South Eastern Pennsylvania, All Applications must be approved by the President and / or a 60 percent vote of the Board Members. Becoming a member of Renaissance SEP will be a rewarding experience and a way to meet other Crossdressers and TG Ladies and Gentleman. We all love meeting new members and do our best to give Support and Information to those seeking help. There is no Mileage Radius limit for membership in Renaissance SEP. We have Members who travel 150 miles to attend meetings and Special Events. Our support reaches out to anyone anywhere who needs help and guidance. Renaissance SEP Bylaws stipulate that a person must be at lease 18 years of age to be a dues paying member of Renaissance SEP. Membership in Renaissance is open to any person. Minors (under 18) are not extended Membership privileges, or allowed to attend Chapter meetings without written consent from a parent or legal guardian, or a letter from a Counselor or Therapist saying that the minor will benefit from attending a meeting. The minor must be accompanied to any group meeting by a Parent or Guardian. Renaissance LSV reserves the right to check the identification of persons who appear to be under 18. Picture Identification must be available for proof of age or Birth Certificate. Proof of age will be checked by Board Members Only as per the Renaissance SEP Privacy section of the Associations ByLaws. We do not only offer Support and Information to the Transgendered Community we also have several get together's during the year for the Membership at Transgendered Friendly places and everyone enjoys the out and about programs. We are a fun loving group and also a very Supportive Group. You will be very happy with your experience with us if you do decide to join our lovely Family.We Welcome You To,
Renaissance of South Eastern Pennsylvania (ROSE)
Mountville, Pa.
Our new mailing address is
Renaissance of South Eastern Pennsylvania
C/O Michelle Lynn GreyFeather
PO Box # 1322
York, Pa. .... 17405
Are there other Renaissance groups in this area?
There are four other chapters in the region neighboring Delaware: Greater Philadelphia (King of Prussia, PA), Washington’s Crossing (near Trenton, NJ), Three Ts (near Aberdeen, MD), and Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, PA). Members of each often attend meetings of the other chapters. Although each group has its own individual character, they all subscribe to the Renaissance mission of support, education, and outreach. Other chapters are located in New York, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and California.
What if I’ve never been out?
For many of us, attending our first group meeting was our first step toward understanding and self-acceptance. Nevertheless, that first time out can produce some anxiety. We understand, and we try to make everyone feel at home, regardless of their experience in public. It’s entirely normal to feel a little nervous about meeting a new group of people. We’ve all experienced it. New friends are waiting to meet you, and there’s a new world of gender expression to explore. All of our chapter activities are completely voluntary. You will never be asked to participate beyond your own comfort level. OVERVIEW OF THE GENDER COMMUNITY
The gender community can be seen as a continuum, beginning with mild fetishistic behavior and concluding with the post-operative transsexual. At the risk of oversimplifying, there are two main groups within the gender community itself: Crossdressers (transvestites) and Transsexuals. The largest of these two groups is the crossdressers. Crossdressing can mean anything from wearing articles of women's clothing under the male clothing (usually lingerie) to the constant living and dressing as a member of the opposite gender. The transsexual is a person who comes into severe conflict with his gender identity at an early age, and seeks to eventually obtain gender reassignment surgery in order to alter his body to conform with his inner identity.
Male to Female
CROSSDRESSER
Most crossdressers find an attraction to the clothing of the opposite gender at an early age, usually between 5 and 9, and this attraction can often reach an obsessive level with sexual overtones as the crossdresser reaches puberty. As the crossdresser progresses through his teen years and into adulthood, this attraction and accompanying sexual release (usually through masturbation) creates a situation where the crossdresser is torn between the realities of his real gender and lifestyle and the gender which he sometimes fantasizes being. This in turn leads to overwhelming feelings of guilt, paranoia, secretiveness, isolation, and confusion, and causes the crossdresser to attempt to deny his cross-gender identification through suppressive behavior and purges. I.E., destruction or disposal of the crossgender wardrobe. Many crossdressers will attempt to overcome their desires by overcompensating in their masculine lives, and often voluntarily will enter military service, and pursue occupations which would be considered ultra masculine (policeman, truck driver, etc.) Most crossdressers are otherwise normal, heterosexual males, and will marry and father children. Sometimes they believe that marriage will 'cure' their crossdressing, but they soon find that the desire to crossdress returns and they must deal with their crossdressing within their marriage. Many crossdressers continue to hide their behavior from their spouses, leading to continuing unhappiness and irritability, and possibly a broken marriage. For the crossdresser who chooses to deal honestly with his crossdressing in relation to his spouse, the reaction is initially one of revulsion and non-acceptance. The wife will often assume that her husband is gay, or wishes to seek reassignment surgery and become a woman. This is usually not the case, and with honest discussion and possibly professional counseling, the spouse can often learn to deal with and perhaps tolerate her partner's crossdressing, and will participate and assist in their husbands presentation as a member of the opposite gender. They will also counsel and assist other spouses who wish to understand and tolerate their husband's behavior. Not all crossdressers are heterosexual, of course. The percentage of gay crossdressers is probably reflective of the gay population of society as a whole, in the neighborhood of 10%. Most gay crossdressers (in fact, most crossdressers, both gay and straight) are portrayed as drag queens, who utilize crossdressing as a means of attracting men. While this is the case with some, most gay crossdressers enjoy dressing as the opposite gender for the same reasons as straight ones do. Sexual orientation and crossdressing are two completely separate facets of an individuals personality.
TRANSEXUALS
A transsexual is a person who usually has felt from as far back as he can remember an overwhelming impression that he was born with the wrong genitalia and gender. With these feelings often come a manifestation in early years for gender-inappropriate behavior, usually to the dismay of the parents, and suppression and 'unlearning' of the natural tendencies to behave as a member of the opposite gender. Much like the crossdresser, the transsexual will attempt to overcome their feelings through overcompensative behavior, including marriage and children. Unlike the crossdresser, however, the transsexual will come to realize that he is living a lie, and in spite of many outward appearances of happiness and fulfillment, will become more and more dissatisfied with his life in time. The transsexual who wishes to deal with this conflict (called gender dysphoria) must make the decision to go on living in the gender to which they were assigned at birth, or to pursue sex reassignment surgery. This is usually a long, expensive, and often heartbreaking process, in which the transsexual often loses family, friends, home, job, etc. This is not always the case. but anyone considering reassignment surgery must face the possibilities of all of the above. Many will weigh the advantages and disadvantages and decide to continue with their unhappy lives. For many others, however, the prospect of becoming a complete and congruous human being will lead them to pursue reassignment surgery. This process includes hormone and psychiatric therapy and full-time living and working as a member of their now gander for. a period of at least one year, although this is usually a longer period of time, sometimes much longer. After this process has been completed, a transsexual may be approved for reassignment surgery by one of the few medical centers that perform the necessary operations. So far, this has been proven to be the only method of relieving the overwhelming unhappiness in the lives of transsexuals.
FEMALE TO MALE
CROSSDRESSERS AND TRANSEXUALS
So far, we have been talking only about people who are male and desire to cross over gender boundaries in some way to become more feminine. The female to male crossdresser is a relatively unknown species; in fact, some say that they probably don't exist at all. This can be attributed mainly to the fact that it is much more permissible in our society for the female to take on the trappings and attitudes of the male, and the female to male crossdresser would be able to function unnoticed for the most part. There are, however. many female to male transsexuals. Until recently, most candidates for sex reassignment surgery have been male to female. In the recent past, however, gender clinics are beginning to note that the number of female to male patients who wish to apply for reassignment surgery are nearly equal to that of the male to female. This can be attributed to great Improvement in recent years by surgeons in their techniques for this series of operations. In fact, for the male to female, the creation of a functioning vagina has been accomplished and nearly perfected. For the female to male, however, there has been no such development of a fully functioning penis. On the other hand, a female to male transsexual will become masculinized through hormone therapy much more rapidly and readily, and their ability to pass in public as males comes much more easily than for the male to female transsexual.
THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY
Despite the fact that crossgendered behavior has been observed since the beginnings of recorded history, the psychiatric and medical communities are at a loss to explain the causes. There are many theories on the origins of cross-gendered behavior, but there is no conclusive evidence that any one of them, either psychiatric or biological, can be pinpointed as causing crossgender identification. It is more probable that a combination of circumstances contributes to an individual’s desire to identify with or become a person of the opposite gender. Because the psychiatric community as a whole knows so little about transgendered behavior, there are limited resources within the professional community available to deal with patients seeking assistance. Transgendered behavior is often considered to be abnormal, immoral, psychotic, neurotic, compulsive, and a mental illness. Out of the ordinary, perhaps, but these other descriptions are mostly a reflection of a society and a professional community which need to throw labels on something they don't understand and which they consider 'wrong' behavior. A professional studies on transgendered behavior have estimated that between 2 and 5 percent of people are attracted to crossgender behavior in some form, there has yet to be found a cure for such behavior. The best way to deal with the problem from a professional standpoint is to assist the crossdresser to become comfortable and at peace with himself, or for the transsexual to achieve ultimate congruity of the mind and body through reassignment surgery.
THE GENDER COMMUNITY
In the past 10 years, the gender community has organized and grown around the world, and is quickly becoming a self-contained force on its own behalf within the psychiatric community and the world at large. In the United States today, there can be found a non-sexually oriented organization of crossdressers and transsexuals in every major city, and many smaller ones. Often, there are two or more such groups in one area. The membership in these organizations can number between 50 and several hundred. Leaders within the community have made themselves available as speakers and lecturers for college classes, psychiatric and medical seminars, and radio, television, and newspaper interviews and features in an attempt to dispel rumors and misinformation about the gender community and to allow us to be seen as otherwise normal, everyday people who function for the most part in society without notice and lead happy, fulfilled lives.
Security
Personal security is important. We do not publish names and addresses of members. We use only "femme" names at meetings and parties and in the news letter from Reniassance Group.
Welcome To
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Renaissance
of
South Eastern Pennsylvania
Located in Mountville and York, Pennsylvania
A Premier Transgender
Educational and Support Organization
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Awarded the TGNI Award for
Transgendered Excellence
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This Web Site has been Awarded the Transgender Zone Award of Excellence
( Also Known as "Rose" )
We are a non-profit organization and a chapter of the Renaissance National Organization who is a 501 [c][3] non-profit organization. Renaissance National is a member of The Penna. Association of Non-profit Organizations. We exist on the dues of our membership, grants, and donations.
