The Beaumont Society

 I have recently done something that I never thought I would. I have joined the Beaumont Society.  Why is that so surprising? Read on.

I have been crossdressing to a greater or lesser extent since I was 13 in 1978. In my 20s, I wasn't dressing very much, but as I got into my 30s the desire was returning. And by the time I reached my late 30s I had bought myself my own feminine underwear and a wig, and I was wearing them with clothes borrowed from my wife's wardrobe, whenever I was home alone. By now I was beginning to feel that I wanted to get more from my dressing than just dressing at home. 

I had been aware of the Beaumont Society from sometime in the early 1990s. Whenever I read any articles on crossdressing in the press, the Beaumont Society would often be mentioned as an organisation providing help and support for crossdressers. They had done sterling work providing support for crossdressers for many years.

In 2005, at the age of 40, I had my first contact with the Beaumont Society.  I had been reading the problem pages in a woman's magazine and one of the letters to the agony aunt was from a man who was a crossdresser and had been discovered by his wife. In the reply the agony aunt gave out the Beaumont Society Helpline phone number. 

I decided to reach out and contact them to see what support was on offer for myself as a crossdresser. When I phoned the helpline, I found myself listening to a recorded message which gave phone numbers for different regions. I was living in Romsey in Hampshire, so I was covered by the Southern Region. 

The Southern Region person to contact was Danielle Daniels. I had found the Beaumont Society website online and I looked at the page on Danielle. It was interesting and she seemed like a fun and also very helpful person. So I decided to phone her on the number listed. 

I must admit that I was nervous about phoning. I hadn't really rehearsed what I was going to say. I just phoned the number. A man answered and said "Hello". "Err is that the Beaumont Society?" I asked. "Yes it is. I'm Danielle' came the reply. " I'm a transvestite" I replied in a suddenly timid voice. "Well that's good, you've come to the right place. What's your femme name?" I hadn't thought of that. When I dressed in my teens I called myself Wendy, but it felt old fashioned and I had stopped using it. I hadn't really settled on a name yet. So I froze a little. "OK so you haven't got a name. What kind of things do you like wearing?" Again I found my mind racing for what to say. After a couple of seconds gap, I replied "Dresses" which seemed an obvious answer. I was so nervous, my thought processes were rather impaired. What I needed was some reassurance that everything was ok and maybe be asked to describe my crossdressing in my own way, rather than being asked questions that I had to think of answers to. And then I got this response from Danielle, "Why don't we stop wasting each other's time, and you call back when you actually have something to say". I just put the phone down in shock and then I cried.

After a while, my upset turned to a mixture of anger, but also a sense of hopelessness. I took my wig and underwear, put them in a plastic bag, and threw it in the dustbin. Who was I kidding about trying to dress as a girl? Why bother. Best forget it if even the people who are supposed to help me don't want to know. 

I managed to resist the urge to dress for about two years, before I went back to some low level crossdressing in just women's underwear. 

I was still very hurt and upset at what had happened with the Beaumont Society. And I definitely think it set me back from becoming the Tgirl I am now become by four years.

Now I can imagine that running a helpline for crossdressers can be difficult, with various fetishists, fantasists, sex pests and haters phoning on occasion, just for a cheap thrill or to give abuse. But I was just nervous and a bit tongue tied. I didn't deserve the response I got. I should have been given the time to ease into what was obviously a very nerve-wracking conversation for me. 

Apparently Danielle Daniels was a very kind and wonderful person who has helped many crossdressers over the years.  So I accept that I must have caught her on a bad day, and it was out of character. Sadly she passed away at the beginning of the year. 

Four years later and I was back crossdressing as much as ever. And I was ready to reach out to the TG community. I noted a couple of mentions on the websites of Tgirls, for the UK Angels forum. So I joined and I was welcomed with open arms by them.

By this time, the Beaumont Society had a rather outdated image and they seemed out of step with the rest of the trans community. They seemed to be a group for old school transvestites, who were straight and regarded crossdressing as a hobby. I heard stories about them asking gay or bisexual girls not to return to meetings. And they were not really a group aimed at transsexuals. In fact they got a lot of flack from some transsexual groups for that reason. The trans world had changed and the Beaumont Society had stayed where they were. 

I certainly didn't expect to be joining the Beaumont Society in the future. But never say never. Things change. Over the last few years
 the Beaumont Society have slowly but surely revamped themselves and their image. And it's not just cosmetic changes.  The membership has changed, the old guard at the top have moved on, and the make up of the group is much more mixed across the TG spectrum. The group offers very good support to everyone who is trans, be they crossdressers, trans women or trans men. They have become a welcoming and positive place for anyone who is transgender. The committee members are working hard to make the group relevant to anyone who is trans, and they are improving and updating the image of the group. 

The Beaumont Society have recently adopted the name Transkind as a name and have created a new website. They are actively involved in promoting trans  rights and the welfare of trans people. They have an excellent social aspect, with meetings and events on a local and national level. They also produce a very good magazine which is packed with interesting articles. 

In light of the recent rollback on trans rights and the current hostile situation that trans people are finding themselves in, I felt it's important to be allied to a group that is advocating and fighting for our rights, and giving us support to be able to flourish as trans.

I have been made to feel very welcome by the membership of the group and I'm very much looking forward to participating as a member of the group. 

I would certainly recommend Transkind by the Beaumont Society as being a worthwhile organisation for anyone who is trans to become a part of.

So the Beaumont Society have fully redeemed themselves in my eyes and I'm very happy to be a member.