Presenting Laura's Playground Staff

Presenting Laura's Playground's Moderators

On April 3rd, 2004 Laura's Playground was born. Its main mission is and was to provide support for our transgendered brothers and sisters as well as to try to reduce the high suicide rate in our Community. As I built the site it quickly became apparant that I could not fulfill the sites mission alone unless I cloned myself. So I observed in the chatrooms to find the most exceptional Moderators I could find who would all work from the same set of rules for the same mission. I wanted to make this a safe site. One by one I found them. This page is dedicated to introduce those fine people who have become our staff members, All of our moderators are dedicated volunteers who work for no pay. They put in countless hours in the chat rooms and some in the Forums. Between them they have saved thousands of Transgender lives.

One of the great benefits though, have been our users. As the moderators started projecting their support it became infectious in a miraculous kind of way. In a very short period of time Support seemed to build from everyone. Even in the few hours that we are not covered by moderators, visitors of our chat rooms are overwhelmed by the support here. We also hold peer Online moderated support group meetings . More are planned.

Remember that moderators are here to provide you with a safe site to chat and they are carrying out and enforcing the rules of Laura's Playground that I put forth. They deserve nothing less then total respect and courtesy for their dedication. Please treat them right. If you need to debate the rules write to me. I wrote them, not the moderators. So don't argue with the moderators. It is reason enough to be banned.

Many of our moderators are training or have been cerified in Youth Suicide Prevention. This is the same Professional Training that suicide hotline personel recieve. We are the only Transgendered Support Web Site that provides Online Peer Counseling and Transgender Support Group Meetings, as well as suicide prevention. In addition moderator's go through a uniques course run By our "Training Director", Sharleah. If you are interested in becoming a moderator for either chat or the forums contact Karen, PetraJane or Laura.

ALL persons featured on this page are unpaid volunteers. Most have put in thousands of hours of hard work for the sole purpose of supporting you our users and our community. Only staff members who have been active within the past year are listed on this page. Others are inactive staff who are always welcome to rejoin at any time and are given special mention at the bottom of the page.

A new position here is the Chat room supervisor. Their primary job is to backup our moderators who are handling user crisis's. They are well experienced in crisis management and suicide prevention. Their crisis management skills have been invaluable. They usually are online for long shifts in the background and are always a mere shout away. While you may not always see them they are always there.

In emails below replace at with @. This is to cut spam mail.

The Staff, Supervisors and Moderators

News Editor

Author

Laura Amato, author of Laura's Playground and Laura's HBS site.

Laura has a psychology and management background and is a certified youth suicide prevention counselor. She is not a therapist. She pays all site expenses out of her own pocket.

Laura's work is way too much for one person. Most duties have been divided up. The staff below has been hand picked by me for their talent and expertice in certain areas. Without them this site could not exist. These team members have helped make this site successfull.

Contact info

Vice President of Web Design and Forums Director

Petra Jane has run the forums since the very beginning and still does. She is now a vice president in charge of web design as well and has a great knowledge of HTML. She has put in Thousands of hours of work into this site.

She also She is a Crossdresser from the UK who is also a Grande Dame. Petra Jane has a site dedicated to Trans Fiction. She is also a dear friend.

PJ has been 100% active in site management since May of 2004 and was our first moderator. She has shown a willingness to do the hard work necessary to put in the time and effort to run this site and has the experience to do so. She will be my successor in running this site and making day to day decisions. She also plans to keep the site design as it is and not get rid of our unique features our users all love such as our Site Pals.

Email: forums at lauras-playground.com

Vice President

Georgia Ann Hodnett is a Vice President of Laura's Playground and Laura's HBS Site. Georgia was the second to enter our realm. She has been here from almost the start of our humble beginnings and has been my mentor and a good friend. She urged the founding of our Transgendered Daily News Room which is now legendary. She has been an activist, author and a spearhead for the Transgendered Community.

She has mostly been inactive in site affairs since December, 2006 due to health reasons. Georgia has generously offered to host both sites if needed and is a good friend to this site.

Email: georgiaann at georgiaann.net

Vice President TG Welfare

Chat Room Director

Karen_H is now a Vice President in charge of TG Welfare. She is part The New Hope Foundation and is working on TG housing in the Houston area. She also is the Director of our chat rooms and the Senior Supervisor. Karen has our hardest job trying to keep users, Moderators, Supervisors and Laura happy.

She is a certified youth suicide prevention counselor. Please direct all Chat problems directly to Karen.

yahoo Id: krn2karen2000

Email: Karen.Simpathi at gmail.com

Vice President Crisis Management

Supervisor and Training Director

2nd Assistant Chat Director

Sharleah is now Vice President in charge of Crisis Management and has saved hundreds of lives here. She is also a part of the New Hope Foundation working to eradicate TG homelessness.

Sharleah is an Mtf Transsexual and is our CD and Teen moderator. She is not a CD. Sharleah is a certified Youth suicide prevention counselor. She hosts the Cd and Intersex meetings and the teen chat meetings. Sharleah also trains our new moderators.

Yahoo id: Capricemama1

Email: sharleah at gerogiaann.net

Vice-President and Chat Room Supervisor

Back-up News Editor

Special Projects and Resources Director

Monica_Jennifer is a MTF Transsexual who has been on hormones since 1996. She is certified in youth suicide prevention, and is a Chat room supervisor.

She also supports the staff reviewing daily transcripts and crisis's in an effort to help us to improve our crisis handling. In addition she is training to be our News Editor.

Monica is also Special Resource Projects Director. She manages our lists like the Gender therapist list and other new ones being created.

Assistant Chat Director

Claire is an MTF Transsexual And Karen's Assistant in the chat rooms.

Supervisor

Jen001 Jen Is a post-op MTF Transsexual. She is a chat room supervisor with experience in crisis management. Jen is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Supervisor

Shelby (lil shar) is an MTF pre-op Transsexual. She is a chat room supervisor with experience in crisis management Shelby has completed the youth suicide prevention course and is certified.

Couples Moderator

Supervisor

Kasandra is a GG or Genetic Girl who lives with her Crossdresser boyfriend Darla.

Kasandra holds the TG partners, wives and husband's couples meetings.

Chat Supervisor

Sakura is Chat room supervisor and is certified in youth suicide prevention. She is currently in the Real life test RLT and very knowledgable about Transsexuality.

Significant Other, Wives Partners Chat and Forum Moderator

Chat Supervisor

Anyushka likes to be called Anne (not Annie). She is the wife of an MTF who is on hormones. She is very supportive. She will be running our S.O. and wives Support Meetings. She also moderates the Partners Forums.

Chat Supervisor

Amanda_Y is an MTF transsexual and supervisor. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Supervisor

Chrissie_Nightstar is an MTF transsexual and supervisor. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Supervisor

Kaylee is an MTF transsexual and supervisor. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

FTM Forum Moderator

Buzz is our FTM Forum Moderator and is currently on Hormones. He helps run our FTM weekly support meetings. He is certified in Youth Suicide Prevention.

Moderator

Phoenix is a MTF Transgendered moderator. She has her own room "Phoenix's Sanctuary" on the chat, and she is certified in youth suicide prevention.

MTF and AA/NA Chat Moderator

Sarah1 Sarah is a Post-op MTF Transsexual and is very knowledgeable on transgender issues. She co-moderates in the MTF meetings and in our Alcohol and Drug Abuse support meetings. Patty is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat and Forum AA/NA Moderator

Bobbi/Robyn is a self described T girl and helps moderate our Drug and alcohol abuse meetings. You can also catch her on our substance abuse forums.

Chat Moderator

TraciDeanne is a Post-op MTF Transsexual with much knowledge on Transgendered issues. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Forum Moderator

MaryEllen is an MTF transsexual and moderator.in the forums

Forum Moderator

Sophie Jean is an MTF transsexual and moderator.in the forums

Chat Moderator

Abby2005 is a MTF transsexual and a moderator. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Beth is a MTF transsexual and a moderator. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Betty B is a Crossdresser and a Moderator and is certified in youth suicide prevention

Chat Moderator

AJ is a FTM transsexual. He is presently taking the course in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Katelin is a new Moderator. She is cetified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Kieraleanne is a Moderator. She is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Melissia is a MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Tony_D is an FTM Moderator. He is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Brina is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Jd_1008 is an FTM Moderator. He is certified in youth suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Jeniffer1 is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Moderator

Leazabeth Elizabeth is an MTF post-op Transsexual presently a business woman who is transitioning. She has been inactive here for quite a while.

Chat Moderator

Libby is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Samantha is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Sondra is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

Chat Moderator

Terra is an MTF Transsexual. She is certifed in Youth Suicide prevention.

The following staff have now been inactive for a year or more and may return to the active staff at any time: Katherine, Leazabeth, Rachelcrown, Jake, Oz, Rebeccacd and BeckyAnn.

Moderators behind the scenes