When navigating the complexities of gender identity, healthcare, family relationships, or simply everyday life, connection with others who share your lived experience can be transformative. For many trans and nonbinary adults, peer support groups offer a sense of belonging, understanding, and collective strength that traditional services can’t always provide.
What Is Peer Support?
Peer support is grounded in shared identity. Rather than a top-down model, these groups create a space where participants—often led by trained peers—can share their experiences, ask questions, and build community together. It’s not therapy, and it’s not prescriptive. It’s mutual.
At Ingersoll Gender Center, peer-led groups have been a cornerstone of their work for over four decades. They’ve built a trusted model that centers trans wisdom, uplifts joy and resilience, and creates a consistent, affirming environment for adults at all stages of their gender journey.
Why It Matters
- Affirmation: Many trans and nonbinary people face isolation, misgendering, or lack of understanding in their daily lives. Peer support offers a space where your identity is seen, respected, and celebrated.
- Practical Knowledge: Need to navigate gender-affirming care? Looking for legal name change guidance? Wondering how others have handled workplace transitions? Your peers often have the most up-to-date, real-life advice.
- Emotional Safety: There’s power in hearing “me too.” Whether you’re grieving, celebrating, or figuring things out, peer groups provide connection without judgment.
- Leadership Development: At organizations like Ingersoll, participants can even train to become facilitators—deepening their involvement and helping others along the way.
How to Join or Start a Group
Start by exploring local organizations like:
If a local group doesn’t yet exist, consider reaching out to these organizations to ask about starting one, or check out online offerings that are intentionally trans-led and trauma-informed.
Peer support is powerful because it centers community, not charity. It’s about seeing—and being seen. If you or someone you know is seeking connection, you’re not alone. There’s a circle of care waiting to welcome you.