Further along on the spectrum

My wife and I were talking the other day and the issue of National Transgender Remembrance day came up. Now my wife knows I dress. I told her on our 2nd date. She is supportive, buys me clothes when we are out, etc. She prefers not to go out with me, and asks that I be very circumspect around our neighbors. Reasonable requests which I am more than happy to follow. Anyway we were talking about transition. She asked if I had ever considered that. I told her perhaps if I were younger, not married with no children possibly. She was quite surprised; but she knows I would not consider it at this point. My family comes first and I think the consequences would be too much. In any event she knows I identify as Transgender; at least to myself. It was somewhat of a relief to at least acknowledge that; but I think she has known all along.

Angela,
It's so good to read you had "the talk " at least you both are now on the same page , it's so much harder when you are forced to go it alone and try and swim against the tide .

I'm glad to say I haven't lost my family despite now being divorced , I feel I'm respected for being honest and sticking to my true feelings .

Seems you had a very healthy conversation...one of many perhaps over your long relationship. It seems to me that part of what the changing society has given us is a language for that conversation. The word transition didn?t have a meaning in context of what I knew about myself 40 or 50 years ago. I just recall being both attracted and repelled by the notion of becoming a woman...like Renee Richards and a few others I?d learned about through the media.

Now, with all the new information and with so many role models, I suppose the concept of transition comes to mind with any one of us living this unusual life and of course contemplated by our partners...either with curiosity or fear.