Kappa Beta Serving the transgendered community since 1988

We often speak in terms of "giving back to the community." Have we really considered what that phrase means? What is it that we are we giving back?

Before a person can give back, she or he must have something to give. In order to have something to give, we must be at peace with ourselves, and so it goes with a support group.

It is impossible to gloss over the fact that Kappa Beta has been though a considerable amount of trauma these last couple months. This was not the first such time, nor will it likely be the last.

There is a reason Kappa Beta has survived these last 20 years, while other groups have fallen by the wayside, or have been nothing more than a glimmer in someone’s eye.

I find the common denominator of these failures to be when the focus becomes on personalities rather than vision, when ‘self’ takes precedence over support. A true support group is greater than any one person. This is the reason Kappa Beta survives the stressful times. The greater good of the group is always paramount.

The question has been posed as to whether Kappa Beta is a support group, or a social group. Does it really matter, if the result is the same? Ultimately, we have the power to at least help others (and ourselves) to feel secure in whom they are and their direction in life. I believe this is one definition of "support."

This broader purpose is greater than any one person. During all these years, the names and faces have changed. Personal situations have changed. Even the core direction of Kappa Beta may have changed to some degree. However, the needs of our sisters and brothers have not changed.

Each person reading this issue of The Pink Slip, as well as those who may not be, carries unique abilities. As human beings, we can allow our greater possibilities to be limited by regret over hurtful things that have been said and done, whether real or perceived. When we limit ourselves, we in turn limit the potential of that broader purpose of the group, "support."

I do not believe it to be overly dramatic to say that Kappa Beta may be a group with a destiny. I truly believe this can be a time for us to regain a new sense of healing within ourselves, and thus within the group, as we put aside past animosities. If we truly are a group with a destiny, the best days lie ahead.