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Crystal Burroughs had never met another transgender person before coming out at 63 years old. While she had known her whole life that this was her identity, it was not possible for her to come out earlier, due to her own fears of her family and societal pressures. Even now, she has had to deal with some family members not accepting her for who she is. 

 

Burroughs found Transcend Alamance after coming out as transgender. This was a community she had been searching for, she said. Growing up she did not have any role models within the LGBTQ community and was looking for people she could share her experience with. At Transcend, she was able to find her community. 

 

“I had my first conversation with someone like me,” Burroughs said. “It was wonderful.”

 

Now, Burroughs serves on the board of directors at Transcend and attends monthly support group meetings. 

 

When Rachel Hopkins' son came out to her, she knew she had to do something to ensure there was a safe space for him in Alamance County. Hopkins is a therapist in the county and had been searching for a group similar to Transcend that worked to support members of the LGBTQ community, she said. When she was unable to find a local organization doing that work, she decided to start Transcend herself in September of 2022.

 

“We are this rural community nestled right in between Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, where there are these tremendous resources for trans and nonbinary folks, the LGBTQIA community in general, and there’s nothing here,” Hopkins said. 

 

Transcend has a wide range of events, Hopkins said. There are social events for middle and high schoolers, support groups for adults, collaborations with Elon University and more. Transcend also works to provide resources for community members and its main mission is to provide a sense of belonging for people. 

 

Burroughs grew up in the 1960’s in Alamance County. Growing up in a rural area in the South, there was no one Burroughs knew who was publicly a part of the LGBTQ community, she said. At her schools, teachers would use gay as an insult and tease more feminine presenting boys, Burroughs said. 

 

“At that time, the people who did decide to transition generally led extremely difficult lives,” Burroughs said. “They were pretty much ostracized, most of society, most of their families.”

 

Burroughs has only been out for a little over a year. Before March of 2023, no one knew she was transgender, not even her wife. This part of her identity was something she had been too nervous to share, but it got to the point where it became too difficult to hide, she said. After hiding for so many years, it was nerve wracking for her to share her identity, she said, but the majority of her family and friends have supported her. 

 

Her sons in particular reacted better than she could have imagined. Part of what sparked Burroughs to feel comfortable coming out was witnessing the courage of her son’s wife’s sibling, Jules, who is nonbinary. 

 

Jules’ family was used to them presenting in a more feminine way, but officiated Burrough’s son’s wedding and wore a suit during the ceremony. Burroughs was impressed by their comfort level with their own identity and inspired from witnessing them living authentically — even with the presence of some fundamentalist Christian family members at the wedding who Jules was not sure would be accepting. 

 

“I was very happy to see that and thinking to myself, ‘wow, this young person has enough bravery to do that, why can’t I?” Burroughs said.

 

Last week, Burroughs did have the experience of not being supported by family, something she said she expected from these family members in particular, but still was upsetting to experience. 

 

“The call ended with basically at family events they don’t want their young foster kids around me,” Burrough said. “That did really sting, to have it put in that context.”

 

Negative interactions like that are part of why Hopkins was motivated to create Transcend. As a therapist, she has also seen how people a part of the LGBTQ community have been ostracized by family members and wants Transcend to be something people can count on. 

 

“We also need community,” Hopkins said. “For folks that identify as trans, nonbinary, in somewhere that is not traditionally friendly for those identities and pretty aggressive toward them, it makes it very hard to feel like you have a community.”