My wife has known about my cross dressing for almost 2 years now, and although she is accepting, I know at times she still has her doubts. One of those doubts came when she saw the ad for Transgender Heaven on the CDH website. She freaked out, thinking that I was looking to transition. She told me (while holding back tears) that if this was the case our marriage would be over. I had to reassure her that this was not the case and that what she saw was just an ad.
The next day I spent most of the day composing a letter to my wife explaining what cross dressing means to me, what CDH is about and then what my ideal expectations moving forward are. With her permission she has allowed me to publish the letter after I explained to her that it might be of use to some other members who may be struggling with getting their partners to understand what cross dressing is all about for some of us.
So here it is.
To My Dearest Wife.
I understand that the change we have had in our life over the last couple of years cannot be easy for you. You married a man for 9 years and then you found out your husband likes to dress in women’s clothes.
After you told me yesterday that if I ever wanted to be a women full time, that it would be the end of our marriage, it got me thinking that I really need to explain what cross dressing means to me and why I like it so much.
– I am not Gay!! I like being with women and that will never change.
– I do not want to be a girl!! You might find this strange as I dress every night as a girl, but the idea of being a girl full time does not appeal to me.
– Why do I cross dress? – 1st reason is it feels so good to wear nice feminine clothing items and be dressed up in them, men’s clothes just do not have the same feeling.
– 2nd reason is the fact that it is my stress release, I feel more relaxed after each day when I am dressed up as a woman, after a busy day of work and kids and family life, the time I spend being cross dressed relaxes me and makes me feel good.
– 3rd reason, it has been part of me for most of my life. Although never to the extent I dress now (Thank you for letting me do this now), but I always had some sort of female clothing hidden when I was younger. Back then it was more a sexual fetish as it would get me excited but now, although I still find it exciting, it is now more of a comfort to be dressed up in feminine clothing.
– Crossdresser Heaven Website – This is the best place that I have found by far for cross dressers on the internet. It is a safe environment where we can share opinions, photos, articles, and just communicate around everything having to do with cross dressing. This site does not allow any type of photos that do not meet their standard and the founder and her staff of administrators are quick to remove any new members that try to use it for a dating site or posting inappropriate photos. Most of the members on this site are just like me – married with a wife that either accepts and supports, accepts but is unsupportive, or still does not know about their cross dressing.
– There are even real wives/partners that are members on this site. They use the site to help them understand why men have the desire to cross dress and connect with other wives/significant others of cross dressers.
– I looked around the internet for a long time before I found this site and I feel totally safe here because everyone here treats each other with respect, understanding, and support.
Yes, there are some Transgender people on there, however, they have their own website which you saw the ad for last night. I’ve never been on the transgender site and do not plan to visit it.
You have noticed that I have been reading a lot and communicating to the other crossdressers online. I am reading their stories and opinions on a wide range of topics including talking to their partners about cross dressing, clothes they wear, make up, hair, jewelry, shoes, etc. …………. Almost everything cross dressing which helps to make a male look more female.
Why share photos – Pretty easy to answer. Anybody can have a feminine side to their personality but to be able to look like a lady and capture that in a moment in time requires more effort than I ever knew. For the female population, they grew up learning beauty skills. For us cross dressers it takes lots of time, study, patience, trial and error, and practice. When it finally works with the body shapewear, clothes, hair, accessories and make up, we then want to share this with our friends and get their support and feedback.
– Positives to my crossdressing – I’ll start with what has been good for me with my cross dressing.
– I am eating better; I am more fit than I have ever been in my life and I have lost weight. I now take better care of my body than I ever have before.
– Negatives to my crossdressing – We are married and as your husband, I need to be aware of your needs and concerns around my cross dressing. I never wanted to embarrass you or make you feel bad about the man you married. You are still my beautiful Sexy wife and I’m sorry that I don’t say that enough to you.
What I want – I want to continue cross dressing. I am aiming for a sophisticated and elegant look with the occasional sexy look thrown in. I would really like to learn how to use make-up to compete my look. Using the Face App is ok, but I will never know if I can pass if I don’t use the same skills real women use to make themselves look so beautiful. Photos taken and posted online without Face App are more realistic, therefore, I don’t want to use a Face App to try and make myself look much prettier than I actually am when dressed up as a beautiful woman.
I would also really like to go out dressed up en femme and shop for women’s clothes without feeling everyone is looking at me. I do feel uncomfortable sometimes shopping for women’s clothes while dressed as a man.
I would also like to attend Crossdressing events when they happen although I understand that if I am ever allowed to do this that these times will be limited to when the kids are not at home.
What you don’t know is I have already been outside dressed up. A couple of times I have driven in my car dressed up at night when the boys are not home and once I walked through Te Aroha Domain dressed with a face mask on. This was when the boys were at Mum’s place.
– From my wife – Only you can decide how much support or restrictions you want to put on my cross dressing. I would love your support and help where you feel comfortable, but I am also content to have what we have now as you have been supportive in your own way so far.
– After all this is just a hobby.
The night after she read the letter we had a conversation about all things related to cross dressing. I showed her the CDH website and she saw the photos I had posted and other members photos as well. We spent about 10 minutes looking around CDH. We had a discussion about what I would like to do going forward and she was receptive.
This letter has helped move my cross dressing to a new level and although probably too early to tell, I think it has also enhanced our relationship as we both have a better understanding of what each other wants from my cross dressing.
I hope that this letter has a positive impact on those who are struggling with their SO acceptance.
Thank you girls so very much for taking the time to read my article and the letter I wrote to my wife! I would love for you to send to me either a response to my article above or to one or more of the questions I’ve posed to you below:
- How long did you stay deep in the closet before admitting to your wife that you were a cross dresser and how did that very first admission to her go?
- If she was accepting and allowed your cross dressing to continue, what limitations, if any, did she place on your cross dressing?
- Since that first admission to her about your cross dressing, how far forward has she came with her acceptance? Have some of your limitations decreased and how else has she changed towards your cross dressing up until now?
With most sincere thanks, Sarah
Sarah, I am Katrina and yes, I am using my wife’s account to post. She read your article, teared up and passed it over to me to read. I wanted to thank you for sharing your story as it is one that I can relate to. I have now been married to my wife over 27 years and only came out to her last year. We have been working on our own boundaries around my dressing, sharing with children and as my daughter called it, expanding my gender expression. I do think that I am lucky as my wife is… Read more »
Hi Janie and Katrina. Thanks for reading my article. It is great that you have a supportive relationship and are willing to “expand your Gender Expression" ( that is a great way of describing our crossdressing ) 27 years married and only came out last year, WOW. I can only imagine how that might of gone down for the both of you. Like you both my wife and I also have Limitations around my Crossdressing but these are expanding as time goes on and we come to understand what it means for each of us and our relationship. Keep working… Read more »
I told her all about Julie long before we got married. I knew that this was a deep part of my life, and that going into a marriage with a secret this big would be a mistake. I figured if she loves me, she’ll love ALL of me. A few days after I told her, she gave me a present – a beautiful night gown. I wore it that evening while we were togther. She later confessed that she did it as a test. She wasn’t sure if I was being truthful or just trying to get out of the… Read more »
Hey Julie, What a great story. You are very brave coming out early but I admire that. It is totally what our partners deserve to know going into a relationship. Although I dressed a bit before our marriage it was not until Clothes were readily available in the house that I found I was struggling to stop. I had to come clean.
Really interesting the test she put you through but this also makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah
Loved your article Sarah. Written from the heart and I very happy for you that your wife has a better understanding now. I told my wife that there was an article on CDH that she should read called Letter to my Wife, and she said ‘ Oh I read that the other day, it was really nice’
I think she spends more time on CDH than I do!
Again, really pleased for you.
Marie x
Hey Marie, Thanks for reading my article. It is great that your wife spends time on this site, I would love if my wife would take some time to read a bit on here but it is possible this may happen in time.
Sarah
Hello Sarah. I am Rose. I am the crossdressing husband. My wife has agreed to work with me in the present. We have been together for 21 years. I never revealed this inkling to my wife until recently. It was latent from my years in university..long ago before I met my wife. I managed to repress it all this time. Being stuck at home, working remotely, during coronavirus, has resulted in me having to come to terms with it. I am lucky that my wife has been relatively supportive. Rose (me being en femme) will probably be intermittent, and not… Read more »
Hey Rose. Thanks for reading my article. That is great that you are able to share your Crossdressing with your wife and you both can have some fun with it. We all have to work with the limitations that our partners put on our dressing. With my wife and I we have been building the understanding of what it means to each of us since I came out. I think this will continue for some time into the future.
Sarah, your thoughtful, well articulated effort to express genuine concern for the woman you love while helping her understand your need to express your feminine self and hoping in that understanding to find her acceptance and perhaps even support, both blessed my heart and helped me. In publishing this letter you stated a goal of helping others. Achieved; at least with me. Thank you. And please pass my thankfulness on to your exceptional wife. You graciously asked for and she courageously granted that permission. Her heart is to understand you, the man she agreed to stand by “for better or… Read more »
Hey Charlene. Thanks for your kind words. I am happy that you were able to take something out of my article. I hope it helps you and your partner move forward just a little.
Sarah
Really great article Sarah. With a few modifications, I hope to one day share this same letter with my wife (she knows about my CDing but doesn’t want to know). Thank you for writing it.
Hey Mona. Thanks for reading. I hope that when you take the step to present something to your wife it helps move the Crossdressing part of your relationship forward a little. Sarah
Great article Sarah, I can relate to so much of your letter. I also shared this with my wife. Thanks for posting this.
Abbey.
Hey Abbey, Thanks for reading my article. Sarah
I am sitting here scared to death because something tells me,that the lies have begun again, and They’re even worse now. I must admit,There are times that I apparently show my annoyance because he is so happy without me. He say’s that I make little comments, most people think they are harmless and mean nothing, but apparently I go for where it hurts . I swear I don’t mean to,heck I don’t even know I do it,and probably never would if he hadn’t brought it to my attention. I can’t stress enough how it makes my heart smile when he… Read more »
Wow, Lorie. So sorry for your situation. I think I might PM you instead of adding to this thread. Sarah
thanks Sarah
I keep coming back to this article wondering if I should show it to my wife. She knows of my cross dressing and used to encourage me but now finds it difficult to accept and does not want to even mention it. I miss those weekly visits of my alter ego Teresa standing there doing the ironing or watching tv…….I can only hope that she has a change of heart and we can share those moments again…….
Sorry I forgot to add that you wrote a really first class article which I really related to. Just not sure I have the courage to raise the subject again about my desire to cross dress as I am worried of the reaction I might get.
Hey Teresa. Thanks for reading my article. Sorry to hear your wife is not as accepting as she once was. I can understand your concern about bringing it up with her but it is probably something you should do if you feel the limits put on you now are not what you want going forward. These things if not addressed can cause more issues down the line. Just be open and honest. Good Luck
Thank you Sarah…..you’ve certainly given me something to think about. I have got a big decision to make……leave things as they are and may become resentful or have that conversation and see if we can compromise. That could end up with a massive wedge between us. She has said to me that she worries that I don’t have any hobbies to keep me busy when I retire, possibly in a few years. I would like to spend more time as Teresa building up a nice wardrobe of feminine outfits and learning the art of make up. Maybe join a group… Read more »
Hey Teresa. I guess I can see her point of view too. She is worried that you will be dressed all the time once you retire and that probably is quite scary for her. Hopefully you will be able to work out a way to have a conversation with her that will put her mind at ease.
Is there something else that you plan to do in your free time when retired? Giving her some idea of what life might look like might help with her concerns.
Good Luck
Hi Sarah. That is something I will need to talk to her about and see if there is a compromise. We have always been able to talk about all sorts of things but I don’t want to spoil what we have at the moment as life is pretty good for us. Maybe when I retire I will be less stressed and the desire to dress will not be so strong and all consuming. That would explain why I am sat here dressed as Teresa with the house to myself…..work is pretty full on at the moment. I would like to… Read more »
Well here I am 8 months later and still no further forward with that conversation! I have tried to stop dressing…..managed 4 months and then gave in to the urge and underdress most days. Even sleeping in tights and lace pants. I am sat up in my own bed dressed and feeling wonderful as my wife is asleep in the other room. Part of me wants her to walk in and catch me to force the conversation but I know that would be unfair. I have even thought about encouraging her to get herself a real man to satisfy her… Read more »
Hey Teresa. Very tough position that you are in. You need to do what is going to make you happy first and foremost but before making any decision you need to be aware what changes this may bring in your marriage and how permanent they may become. Not sure if finding another man for your wife is quite the right decision, How would she even react to such an idea? I am lucky my wife is semi supportive, but our life does limit how often I can dress due the kids, but she knows that when the kids are away… Read more »