Transgender websites are difficult to maintain over time. The projects and platforms below have been important transgender community online resources. Many became dormant or went offline.
Before World Wide Web
Bulletin Board Services (BBS)
Before the World Wide Web in the 1990s, several privately maintained bulletin boards were available online. Prominent ones maintained by our community included:
- AEGIS (AIDS Education General Information System)
- Alternatives
- Carolyn’s Closet
- Cross Connection
- Cross-Link
- Different Realities
- The Diva Connection
- Educational TV Channel
- Feminet
- GDANC/GDATN
- GenderNet
- The Honey Board BBS
- IXE BBS (Indiana Crossdressers Society)
- The Jersey Shore System
- Lambda Conference (ECHO)
- Lifetime BBS
- Lunatic Fringe BBS
- The Other Side
- Puss N Boots
- Rainbow Gender Association
- Satin & Lace
- Searchlight of San Luis Obispo
- TCNE BBS (Tiffany Club of New England)
- TGNet
- Transitions BBS
- Tri-Ess BBS (The Sigma Epsilon and Kappa Beta chapters of The Society for the Second Self Tri-Ess)
- TV/TS Gender Forum
- US TOO (United Sisterhood of Transsexual Outreach Organizations)
CompuServe
- One of the first major services
- Human Sexuality Forum
- Genderline
Prodigy
- Frank Discussions
GEnie
- GEnie Girls
AOL
- This was a driving force in early online resources, the most user-friendly service
- Chat rooms for real-time text conversations (“The Gazebo” was a common room name when you could be banned for using the term “transsexual”)
- Transgender Community Forum and file storage
- User-friendly web page software (members.aol.com)
USENET
- It’s impossible to overstate the historical significance of USENET for developing the online transgender community. The two main groups were:
- soc.support.transgendered
- alt.support.srs
Web-based
Top-level domains became widely available in the mid-1990s. These “dot-com” sites and forums are still online but have not been updated recently.
Dallas Denny (dallasdenny.com)
- One of the great keepers of our community’s collected wisdom.
Lynn Conway (lynnconway.com)
- One of the most important sites from the the late 20th/early 21st century.
- ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway
Jennifer Diane Reitz (transsexual.org)
- A wonderful early resource with the first playful design.
Madeline Wyndzen (genderpsychology.org)
- Great information from a gender-fluid academic psychologist.
Anne Vitale (avitale.com)
- Therapist with decades of experience helping trans people.
Melinda Green (superliminal.com/melinda)
- Her Passing Glances is a great overview of transition.
Renee Reyes (reneereyes.com)
- Resources and first-hand reports
Transgender Care Listings (transcaresite.org)
Donna Rose (donnarose.com)
- American author, podcaster, and activist.
Carla Antonelli (carlaantonelli.com)
- Spanish politician and activist.
GenderTalk (gendertalk.com)
- Long-running American radio program by Gordene MacKenzie and Nancy Nangeroni.
Alison (nuttycats.com)
- UK-based forum.
GID.info (hemingways.org/GIDinfo)
- UK-based information.
Transgender Europe (tgeu.net)
- EU-based information.
Nicole Hamilton (hamiltonlabs.com)
- First-hand transition reports
Transgender At Work (tgender.net/taw)
Transgender Life (tglife.com)
- Resources maintained by Brianna Austin.
Website hosting services
Hosting websites, especially those with images, was very expensive in the 1990s, so many trans people used services that allowed users to create free webpages. Popular options included:
GeoCities (geocitiesarchive.org)
Tripod (members.tripod.com)
AOL [as part of subscription] (members.aol.com/username)
Angelfire (angelfire.com)
Yahoo (members.yahoo.com)
Mindspring (mindspring.com/~username)
Earthlink (earthlink.net/~username)
Offline
Many of these are available via archive.org. If you remember an important site that’s offline, send it in!
- Melanie Anne Phillips (heartcorps.com/journeys) [inspired this site! offline as of 2021]
- Aunt Jenny (antijen.org)
- MyTransHealth (mytranshealth.com)
- LGBT Health (lgbthealth.net)
- Calpernia Addams (calpernia.com)
- Learning Trans (learningtrans.org)
- Phyllis Randolph Frye (transgenderlegal.com)
- FTM Magazine (ftmmagazine.com)
- GenderWellness (genderwellness.org)
- Pauline Park – NYAGRA (transgenderrights.org)
- The Looking Glass Society (looking-glass.greenend.org.uk)
- Association du Syndrome de Benjamin (syndromedebenjamin.free.fr)
- Open Minded Health (openmindedhealth.com)
- Project HEALTH (project-health.org/transline)
- The DIY HRT Directory (diyhrt.github.io) mirror: diytrans.wiki
- Transgender ASIA (transgenderasia.org) by Sam Winter
- Trans Academics (trans-academics.org) groups.google.com/g/Trans-Academics
- Center for Gender Sanity (gendersanity.com)
- Intelligence Engineering stents (intelleng.com)
- TGWorld (tgworld.org)
- Confluence (savina.com/confluence/hormone)
- Julia A. “Julie” Case – Gender Web (genderweb.org)
- Perette Barella – Sex Change Indigo Pages (servtech.com/public/perette/Sc/sexchange.html)
- V – Hormone FAQ (savina.com)
- Michelle Wallace – Post-Operative Transsexual Survey (pacificnet.net/~mwallace)
- Rebecca Allison (drbecky.com)
- Matt Kailey (tranifesto.com)
- Nick Gorton (nickgorton.org)
- Kara Flynn (members.aol.com/karaflynntg)
- Sara – TS Info (tsinfo.freehomepage.com)
- Kelly (genderandtransition.com)
- Diane (drdouglasousterhout.com)
- Amy (amynews.com)
- Andrea (avonk.com)
- Alexandra Hamer (virtualffs.co.uk)
- Teresa (beginninglife.com) [FFS page archive]
- Beginning Life Forums (beginninglifeforums.com
- Heather Jean Lamborn (heathers.net)
- Diane Wilson (dianewilson.us/gender/)
- TransGenderCare (transgendercare.com)
- Jillian T. Weiss (transworkplace.ning.com)
- TSVoice (tsvoice.com)
- gender.org
- April (soylentmean.livejournal.com)
- Madeleine Williams (cinematter.com)
- Transray (transray.com)
- Gender Advocacy Internet News
- Transe-Generation (transe-generation.com)
- Emily Hobbie (genderpeace.com)
- Annie Richards (secondtype.com • anniesrichards.tripod.com • transwoman.tripod.com • secondtypewoman.info)
- TG Life Forums (tglifeforums.com)
- What Is Transgender? (whatisgender.net/forum)
- Sally’s Resource Morsel (tsresource.info)
- Genderlife Forum (genderlife.com/forum)
- Tranny Web (trannyweb.com)
- TransgenderPoint (tgpoint.com)
- eTransgender (etransgender.com)
- Strap-on (Strap-on.org)
- Jamie Faye Fenton (transgender.org)
- JoAnn Roberts (cdspub.com)
- Transition Radio (transitionradio.net)
- TransActive (transactiveonline.org)
- Transcend Ireland (transcendireland.myfreeforum.org)
- Australian Transsexual Support Network (atsnaustralia.org)
- FTM Australia (ftmaustralia.org)
- Ausgender (ausgender.com.au)
- Canberra Transgender Network (canberratransgendernetwork.webs.com)
- Carrousel Club of South Australia (carrouselclubofsouthaustralia.com.au)
- Chameleon Society (chameleonswa.org)
- Carmen Rupe Memorial Trust (carmenrupe.org)
- Terri Main (emergenceministries.org)
- Jade Catherine Devlin (tgchristian.humanfish.net)
- Sequoia Blessed (sequoiablessed.info)
- Lee Frances Heller Love Letter aka the Grace & Lace Letter (hometown.aol.com/GnLNews)
- Leyla’s Chayhane (geocities.com/leylasuhagi)
- Zoey’s Hope (zoeshope.googlepages.com)
- Authentikate (authentikate.com)
- The Interfaith Working Group (iwgonline.org)
- Interweave Continental (interweavecontinental.org)
- The Temple of Cybele (cybele2.com)
- TransFM (transfm.org)
- The Talking Tranny – Susan Moses (talkingtranny.com)
- Trannywreck – Rebecca Marie Nay (trannywreck.com)
- The Radical Trannies – Ethan and Karen St. Pierre
- TransPhilly Radio – Stasha Goliaszewski (transphillyradio.org)
- Katrina Rose (katrinarose.com)
- Gianna E. Israel (counselsuite.com)
- Gender Matters (gender-matters.org.uk)
- National Trans Police Association (ntpa.org.uk)
- T House (t-house.me)
- Transkids (transkids.synthasite.com)
- Trans Care Trust (transhelp.net.nz)
- Canadian Transsexual Fight For Rights (ctffr.org)
- The International Transsexual Sisterhood (the-sisterhood.net)
- Karen Gurney & Kate Clarke W-O-M-A-N Network (w-o-m-a-n.net)
- Australian Transsexual Support Network (atsnaustralia.org)
- Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines – STRAP (m2fstrap.org)
- Transgender Taiwan (transgender-taiwan.org)
- Transgender in Thailand (home.att.net/~leela2)
- European TS (europeants.org)
- Disforia de Genero (disforiadegenero.org)
- Gay Lesbian International Therapist Search Engine – GLITSE (glitse.com)
- Kay Brown (transhistory.org • transhistory.net)
- Danielle Nika Askini (nikaaskini.com)
- Joanne Herman (joanneherman.com)
- Gallery of Goddesses (geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/9200 • escape.to/tsvalhalla)
- Just Evelyn (justevelyn.com)
- Genderology (genderology.com)
- TS FAQ (tsfaq.info)
- Vancouver Trans Advocacy Group – VanTAG (vantag.org)
- Gender Odyssey Family (genderodysseyfamily.com)
- Youth Resource (youthresource.com) http://www.youthresource.com/feat/trans/art_health.htm
- TransProud (transproud.org)
- Nika Askini (nikaaskini.com)
- Crystalline Phoenix Group (crystallinephoenixgroup.com)
- TransAlba Transsexual Support (transalba.org)
- LAMBDA (lambda.org)
- Amberspace (amberspace.net)
- Lynn (tglynnsplace.com)
- Chloe Prince (pinkessence.com)
- Julie Simpson (ozemail.com.au/~ghostv/JuliesHomePage.htm)
- Andrea Bennett (mindspring.com/~arblaw)
- TGNOW.com (tgnow.com)
- ABGender.com (abgender.com)
- Transparentcy (transparentcy.org)
- Over The Rainbow (overtherainbow.org.au)
- Caitlin H. (road-less-traveled.com)
- DaleLynn Sims (kindredspiritlakeside.homestead.com)
- Ruby’s Journal (rtaylor36.tripod.com)
- Transgender Cafe (transgendercafe.com)
- Transgender Cafe (mts.net/~wtsg/legal.htm)
- GenderPAC (gpac.org)
- TG Help and Support (tghelps.org)
- Lynn’s Place (lynnsplace.ca)
- Victoria Renee Weiss (geocities.com/renee_ga)
- National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (ntac.org)
- Caitlin H (catatwaldenpond.com)
- Astrid Johannsen (earthlink.net/~phaistos)
- Missouri Health Equality Collective (mohec.org)
- LGBTQIA Healthcare Guild of Kansas City (healthcareguild.com)
- Sex Change Indigo Pages
- wolfandturtle.net/Indigo
- myria.home.mindspring.com/Indigo
- indigowiki.info/wiki
Controversial dormant/offline sites
- Crissy Wild (crissywild.com)
- Albany Clinic (albany-gender-clinic.com)
- Transkids (transkids.us)
- Anne Lawrence (annelawrence.com)
- The Autogynephilia Resource (autogynephilia.org)
Merged or moved sites
- lauras-playground.com merged to transgenderpulse.com
- tssupport.com merged to tghelps.org, then to transadvice.org
- tsroadmap.com merged to transgendermap.com
- transfaithonline.org moved to transfaith.info
- intersexualite.org rebuilt at oiiinternational.com
Yahoo and Google Groups
Yahoo was the group forum service of choice prior to the advent of Facebook. Many of the major groups are no longer available.
Yahoo Groups (groups.yahoo.com)
- Use the search feature for specific topics.
Yahoo Groups of historical interest include:
NYAGRA mailing list
- A prominent rights group in New York (transgenderrights.org)
- http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/NYAGRA_mailing_list (original link)
- https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NYAGRA_mailing_list/info
Transsexual UK
- United Kingdom focus
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transsexual-uk (original link)
- https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/transsexual-uk/info
Facial Feminization Surgery
- Several groups, including some on specific surgeons
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffs-support (original link)
- https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FeminizationSurgeryFFS/info
Transsistahs-Transbrothas
- Focused on people of African descent
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Transsistahs-Transbrothas (original link)
Trans Theory
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trans-theory (original link)
- https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/trans-theory/info
Web social media
Social media platforms became the service of choice for many trans people beginning around 2003. They allowed easy creation of profiles and content, as well as ways to connect. Major ones include:
- Classmates
- LiveJournal
- Friendster
- Myspace
- Blogger
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Weebly
- Wix
- Medium
- HuffPo
- Yahoo 360
- Twitter / X
- Tumblr
- Google+
- YouTube
- Vimeo
Mobile social media
These platforms are mobile native, and some web-native platforms now have mobile apps.
- Foursquare
- Snapchat
- Vine
- Threads
- TikTok
- Twitch
- Discord
Resources
Queer Digital History Project (queerdigital.com)
- Avery Dame-Griff’s site documents pre-2010 LGBTQ digital spaces online.
Transgender USENET Archive (mith.umd.edu/research/transgender-usenet-archive)
- Another important contribution by Avery Dame-Griff.