Our Impact
on Our Members
How we’ve lived up to our mission of bringing confidence, competence, and community through our online memberships.
How We Support Transition in Members
We believe the keys to creating a better experience of transition is to bring confidence, competence, and community to trans people around the world. We also believe the best method to do this is through online learning community solutions at accessible pricing.
Confidence
Outcome: More trans folks living authentically and publicly as their true selves – empowered to be themselves because they have the tools and confidence in who they are to do so.
Competence
Outcome: More trans folks understanding the steps and goals of a great transition, and options available to them at the time they really start to understand who they are – not many years later.
Community
Outcome: A self-sustaining, pro-social, transgender community that removes the long-standing interpersonal “competitive” nature of the community – as Victoria says, “the dolls are keeping secrets.”
Our Impact Survey Methodology
Every 6 months, we run an open community survey available to all members regardless of their time on the platform. We then break down the total responses into categories like age of transition start, amount of time on the platform, and more. Beyond our custom confidence measurement system below, we ask a series of agree or disagree questions that help us gauge specific areas of our offerings.
Confidence as a way to measure Competence & Community
We created a system to measure all three of our impact areas using confidence as rated by the members themselves. Using 5 key areas, we ask members to self-report their confidence before joining Transgender Zone and now that they are a member (present day). Our 5 key areas are a member’s confidence in their gender identity, the steps and goals of their unique transition, presenting authentically in public, and having another trans person to lean on.
We ask members to rate their confidence in:
Their Gender Identity
Knowing your gender identity – compared to what gender you were assigned at birth – is the first step in a transgender experience. Having confidence that you are or are not Transgender is important for those that are questioning. We believe that you need this as a bedrock for a successful transition.
Which Steps They're Taking to Transition Successfully
Knowing which steps to take is a large part of “competence” in a transition. This confidence comes from learning what it means to transition and seeing other make progress while showing their work. This confidence is developed in many ways on Transgender Zone, like our online modules, live events, and community forum posts.
How They Can Achieve Their Overall Transition Goals
Beyond steps, confidence in achieving goals takes competence to a higher level. To have confidence in achieve a goal, you both need to have a goal and know the path. To take one step is great, but how do those steps lead to desired place? Having the full picture of where you’re going is a massive step in maturity for a transition.
Presenting As Their Authentic Gender Publicly
Whether going into public stealth or openly trans, a very large step in transition is unapologetically leaving the house authentically. Sticking out can be embarrassing and a safety hazard, so this is often the hardest leap in the early stages of transition. This is typically the worst rated confidence area coming into the community.
Having Someone To Lean On Around Their Transgender Experience
This is our primary measure of community. We care about our members making friends, but the basic level of community confidence is having a place to go and lean on others. Transition is hard and the internet can be very unsafe, but if members can trust our community, then they should feel comfortable leaning on other members.