On August 21st 2015 Crossdresser Heaven grew from a blog into a community. On a Saturday 555 days ago we opened the doors to the community offering forums and a private social network. A day later our first Ambassador, Claudia, would join us as member number 30. A day after that Codille would join as member number 63. Together Claudia and Codille founded our Ambassador team.
Codille would go on to become Managing Ambassador, and grow the team of Ambassadors to 26 members. Each sharing in the mission to make Crossdresser Heaven a safe, welcoming and supportive place for everyone in the transgender community.
As of this writing our community stands at 10,001 members strong, with more than 1,000 members participating in the forums, chat and community every week. Almost half a million articles, forum posts and more are viewed every month on Crossdresser Heaven from people around the world seeking hope, encouragement and friendship.
Yet it almost never happened...
I completed the last of my surgeries for my transition 5 years ago. I was finally able to experience the oneness of who I am every moment. My life had moved on. Crossdresser Heaven was slowly dying as no new articles were published, monthly views dipped below 20,000 for the first time since June 2008 and it was costing significantly more to run than we made in advertising revenue. I had a choice to make - I could let Crossdresser Heaven pass away, or revive it into something special.
In hindsight the decision seems easy - as it always is when the path to success has been already trod. At the time I had no idea whether Crossdresser Heaven could be revived, or even whether I had the inclination to focus on a part of my history long gone by. I had never tried to build a community or start forums, I had no idea how to provide chat - as those who were around for the early versions of our chat system can well attest 🙂
We Can Make It
Then something special happened when I opened the doors to our community - the first Ambassadors joined and Crossdresser Heaven went from "I" to "We". You've probably heard tell of an African proverb, "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." I have no idea whether it was actually a proverb from Africa, but it's sentiment so clearly applied to the journey Crossdresser Heaven had before it.
Our Ambassadors brought their passion and ideas, hard work and love for the community in such abundance that I was inspired. I saw the community of friendships blossoming, the love and support, to borrow another (actually African) word, the Ubuntu - the compassion and humanity towards others. Crossdresser Heaven was no longer about my journey, and it no longer depended on me alone.
It was now a place where I could enable others to bring their light into the community. A place where others could reach out a hand of friendship to someone seeking a home.
Into Something Wonderful
We are not perfect. We don't make every call correctly, or respond to every request as timely as we could. Sometimes the server decides to take a nap, or life intrudes and our Ambassador team is not always available.
But we are here.
You are here.
Crossdresser Heaven is as much your community as anyone on the Ambassador team. You have the capacity to offer love, encouragement, support and friendship.
Because Crossdresser Heaven was never really about one person, or one team, but about us. Together. Discovering the authentic truth of our own lives, and letting our light shine as a beacon for others.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu - May all the beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom of all.
