Welcome to RAF-T (Relatives and Friends of
Transsexuals).
My name is Sue, I am an ordained minister and the mother
of a male to female transsexual. RAF-T is in the process of
becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to supporting families and
friends of transsexuals.
My experience with
the transsexual community started in 1998 and since then everything
that I believed about family, relationships, myself and my
relationship with my children, mental health services, and even my
faith has been challenged.
This website is
created to tell the truth and challenge the mental health and
religious communities to take off the blinders, step out of denial
and avoidance, and confront the brutal fact that for every person
pursuing the transsexual lifestyle there is a minimum of 10 more
people who are hurting, angry, confused, depressed and very possibly
isolated by their transsexual’s choice. These people need help and
they need to know they are not alone. This website and a chat room
are here to reach out to the most under served group of people in
the world. The families
and friends of transsexuals.
In my search for
support services to find anyone or any group that I could turn
to that supports those of us who are left behind by our
transsexual, I discovered that there are NO services or support
programs for us. We are
expected to accept our transsexual’s change and move on with our
lives as if nothing has happened.
I also discovered
that it is politically incorrect to even imply that the transsexual
act of changing from male to female or female to male hurts
anyone. All of the
support services available are for the transsexual to help them
feel good about their choice and change. I have found that churches
avoid confronting the fact that they have hurting families of
transsexuals in their midst.
Mental health professionals do not even acknowledge we exist,
or know how to help us, they simply cannot relate.
Relatives and Friends
of Transsexuals may find help and encouragement at this site,
transsexuals, including mine, will probably get pretty upset with
the information in these pages, so be it, they made their choice and
pursued it without apparent concern for how they are affecting their
families. We, those
left in their wake, need to reclaim our lives, heal the pain, and
live full, joyful, and productive lives regardless of the decisions
our transsexuals made and make.
RAF-T was founded in
November 2005 in response to a growing need for support services for
the relatives and friends of people who are entering or have been
involved in the the experience of becoming a male to female or
female to male transsexual.
RAF-T provides a support program
for the relatives and friends of transsexuals that includes this
website, a chat room, and soon live support groups in local
communities.
Through our
commitment, experience, and expertise RAF-T provides an educational
format and an emotional support system to those who have been
traumatized by their loved one's
transformation. |