Founded at the 1993 National Stuttering Association (NSA) convention in Washington D.C., Passing Twice is an informal network of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender stutterers and their friends. Passing Twice meets every year at the NSA convention, and also holds workshops at other stuttering conferences around the world. In between, we keep in touch through a quarterly newsletter, an e-mail list, and an annual mailing list.
Over the years, we’ve come to understand the parallels between homosexuality/bisexuality and stuttering. Twice, we come out of the closet. Twice, we choose between community and isolation. Twice, we contend with well-meaning professionals who want to make us “normal.” Twice, we deal with families who don’t fully accept us. Twice, we create our own circles of understanding friends.
As men and women who have been through struggles twice, we have much to offer, both to people who stutter and to the queer community. We also have much to offer each other: affirmation, friendship, and relief from isolation.
Passing Twice is not a membership organization. We support ourselves entirely through voluntary contributions, and we provide a lot of love and support.