Thanks everybody for the suggestions and the warm welcomes. I have indeed heard of some of these mentioned - in fact I used to live in Portland Oregon (fine place) and also recommend it. In Minnesota (whiter than white! as the commercial goes), once you leave the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, you're pretty much on your own. There are a number of support systems up there, but down in the boonies, people look sideways at each other to scope out who has a pierced ear (male) or three (female). We're here, but Very much a closet situation for those who hold "ordinary" jobs. Most "gay" activity in our small towns seems to be the annual gay pride picnic in Rochester and the occasional diversity talk at the bigger companies. Rainbow Families hasn't answered my inquiries, nor has Gay/Lesbian SE Minnesota (I gather their main activity is to support a highway sign and lend a hand to the pride festivities). Well, this is the life I chose. I was raised in Los Angeles and have migrated to smaller and smaller locales, and this is, I guess, part of that scene. So it's nice to hear some welcoming voices here. Will it be ok if i pm some of you sometime?
Thanks again,
Andell.