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15 NOV 2013
New Trans Group for Northern Ireland
We are pleased to announce that a new Trust has been launched to offer help and support to transgender and intersex individuals and their families and friends in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland.
Posted by request of Focus: The Identity Trust
Focus: The Identity Trust may be newly established Trust but we are already running a number of peer support groups to help members of our communities, and their friends and family.
What support do we offer?
We currently run two peer support groups, one in Belfast and the other in the North West. We also offer buddying or befriending support for friends and families of transgender and intersex individuals. We have also established, and will continue to develop, our links with other support groups on the island of Ireland, and across the UK.
The purpose of our peer support groups is:
We aim to ease the sense of isolation experienced by transgender and intersex individuals by bringing people together for support and for friendship. Our peer support groups offer a safe and confidential place where we can discuss any issues that affect us, such as coming out to our loved ones, our personal relationships, how we feel, issues over surgery or hormones etc. We can support each other and learn from our shared experiences.
Everyone is respected, no matter at what point they are on their journey, and we have a genuinely supportive, safe and inclusive environment at our meetings. Be reassured, that we also have very strict guidelines on confidentiality, so you can come to our groups for support in safety and knowing you will be accepted and understood by others who share similar feelings and experiences.
And last, but not least, the support groups offer a place to meet and make new friends!
Who can come to the peer support groups?
Our peer support groups are open to anyone diagnosed with gender identity disorder and who has been referred to us by a gender identity clinic or general practitioner. We can, where appropriate, also offer befriending to those who may need support or information.
What else does Focus: The Identity Trust do?
Focus engages with other organisations and government bodies to represent the transgender and intersex communities. There is no-one better to speak for transgender and intersex individuals than the very same transgender and intersex individuals. The Trust also carries out Transgender and Intersex awareness training with various organisations, and inputs into research carried out in the transgender and intersex sector.
How do I get in touch?
Please feel free to find out more about us by looking through our recently developed website at; www.thefocustrust.com. If you have any other queries or questions, you can also contact us through this website at info@thefocustrust.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Shortcut http://www.teni.ie/new_trans_group_for_northern_ireland