My name is Mary Hannah, she/her, and I am the new leader of the Atlanta Metro Cross Dressing Meetup group under Natalie Elliott. I am an intern at Natalie's practice, and I am beyond excited to have started this group back up after its hiatus. A little bit about me: I am 25 years old and was born here in north Georgia. My husband and I spent a few years traveling around the country before we came back to Georgia to finish up our degrees. I love experiencing new things, cultures, and people. I also have a huge passion for freedom in gender expression/identity and the LGBTQIA community. It is my hope and goal to give others the space to feel safe, seen, heard, and understood.

We just had our first group meetup last night, and I am already so excited for what is to come. We talked about histories with crossdressing, comfortability with dressing in front of others, what is wanted/needed out of this group, and what is needed to feel safe in the group. Along with this, we were also able to discuss some of the difficult emotions surrounding crossdressing such as isolation, shame, and guilt. It is common for cross dressers to experience these emotions due to societal expectations around how men "should" act and dress. Women "crossdress" often through wearing pants, suits, or other masculine clothing, and this is deemed socially normal and accepted while men taking on deemed "feminine" qualities is viewed as odd. It is important to use introspection to understand these inherent biases within ourselves and challenge them. This group is and will be a space for crossdressers to explore these feelings, find connection with others, and know that they are valid, and they are normal. Going forward, it is our hope to keep expanding the group and have future events surrounding fashion, makeup, and more. I am eager to continue meeting and getting to know the people of this community.

Thanks so much for reading!

Mary Hannah