Mission Statement
GenderNexus is an emerging organization in Indiana that empowers people who are gender diverse to lead authentically healthy and holistic lives by connecting them with supportive services to meet their physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, and environmental needs.
Description
GenderNexus has been created to address all components of individual wellness - physical, emotional, spiritual, social, occupational, intellectual, and environmental - as well as the relationships of people who are gender diverse - relationship with self, with a partner, with parents, family, and friends.
As a person who is gender diverse, you have a lot of work to do while embarking on such a dramatic journey. Your relationships with family might be strained, sometimes to breaking point, over the use of birth names and pronouns. The circle of friends that used to embrace you might now be pulling away, uncomfortable with the noticeable differences in you. Your communication with God might come to a screeching halt due to uncertainty about the spiritual implications of transition. And while there is sure to be much excitement about the changes taking place in your body, you might distance yourself from your own past out of shame for what used to be a duplicitous reality.
As the partner of a person who is gender diverse who has just revealed their true gender identity, you might call into question the integrity of your entire relationship before now. You may feel confused about your identity and sexual orientation. You may doubt whether you can continue a relationship with a partner of a different gender than you had initially been attracted to. Physical intimacy may change as new boundaries and limitations are established. The transition has now required you to become an educator and advocate to your own family and friends. Children in the relationship will now need to learn how to refer to your partner now.
As the family member of a person who is gender diverse, you might worry that your loved one has done (or is about to do) something horribly wrong. You might think they will be mutilating their seemingly perfect body. Maybe you have questions that you don’t know how to ask: Is it okay to grieve the loss of the kind of future you once desired for your loved one? Will the children be able to comprehend what’s going on? Is changing your gender like saying God made a mistake? Why does your loved one resist looking at photos from their past or talking about the "good ol’ days?"
As the friend of a person who is gender diverse, you might feel betrayed. You may think your lesbian friend thinks the lesbian community "just isn’t good enough anymore." You may think your gay friend is just taking the drag act way too far. Perhaps you think your friend’s behavior is erratic or there is mental instability. How do you approach the new boundary lines your friend has seemingly just drawn, when you need some time to get used to the idea? What ramifications does this now have on your girls’ night or guys’ night out now that your friend doesn’t fit into the same gender party anymore?
These are the kinds of issues we are addressing at GenderNexus. As we prepare to open the doors for direct service with the gender diverse community, we invite you to scroll through the blog, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, subscribe to our email list, and make a contribution to support the cause!
