So...ladies and gents...also known as significant others,

    I am Lori and I too am in the same predicament as you... I too have sat back and asked myself many of the questions you have going through your mind, I have felt the fear, the uncertainty, and I too have questioned my options...I understand that this seems to be overwhelming and at times bigger than you...but I am here to tell you that as big and overwhelming this seems to be to you, it is even bigger and more overwhelming at times to your changing partner.This website as well as E.J. (the other moderator) and I are here to listen to your frustrations, your fears, your stories of triumph and to offer our best advice...There are also many other ways to get a better understanding of what is happening to your partner...I am a great supporter of education...I believe the more education you can get through therapy, reading books, and really digging deep into the psychological side of this issue, will really help you to understand and become more compassionate. Please feel free to PM me....

A little more about Lindsey and I:

We have been together for nearly 10 years and recently celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.

Yes, I married a very macho manly man...I will be the first to admit that off and on throughout our marriage, like many others, we experienced our "ups" and "downs". We have been through A LOT. We raised a blended family of 5 children all of the same age range, all with different personalities and got through some pretty crazy teenage years....

We both at one time or another attempted to walk away, but something deep down inside kept us coming back and giving it another try.

Now, I will tell you, Lindsey wanting to transition is not a TOTAL surprise...it's not like one day my "man" just came up to me and said, "hey, I want to be a woman." No, without going into too much detail, there was crossdressing first...and my husband had a better sense of fashion than I...make-up, high end fashion, jewelry, and co-ordinating outfits were not stressed in my upbringing and  I never was overly concerned about being "girly"...but it drove "my husband" crazy that I did not take advantage of what I was naturally given...being a natural female. For many years of our marriage, neither one of us understood what was really going on..only after years of research and some time doing some "soul searching" and self questioning did "Lindsey" finally realize who she was and how she had unknowingly been repressed for years....So, in the last year, "my husband" revealed to me what was really going on..and that this was more than crossdressing.

I will admit...at first...I was not as supportive as I am now. I will admit that there are times that I seem distant...I have packed my stuff and left...but Lindsey hunted me down and poured her heart out....and I realized that she is the same person that I married....as a matter of a fact, being that "she" doesn't have to hide so much anymore, she is a nicer person than "the man" I married. I am not saying that things are all rosey and sunshiny each day...No relationship is...

Right now we are at the beginning of a new chapter in our lives...and each day we have the opportunity to write a new page and it is up to us whether this is going to be a good day or a bad...

This is not the end of the world...but it is the beginning of a quest to find the inner happiness that has been lacking for that certain person in our lives that "trusted" and loved us enough to entrust us with who they truly are.

Please feel free to message me or EJ with any concerns you may have...and do look into support groups in your area...

                                                Muah...- _ -   Lori