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Annie and James Rushden were man and wife, until James revealed he was transsexual. Annie writes about the experience of falling in love all over again with her partner Claire. Same soul, different gift wrap.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Big One... telling the best friend

Claire left her best friend behind in England 8 years ago. They had limited contact back and forth for 5 years or so, and then stopped.

Well, the best friend emailed the other day to see how his old mate was doing in America. He had noticed that some information about 'James' had been taken offline. Wanted to know what was up.

So, we talked and talked, and talked some more instead of sleeping that night. Decided to email him and tell him the story, and she tried to come to terms with the fact that the best friend she loved like a brother wouldn't laugh at her or attack her. It was a very scary thing, because these two were best mates for quite a long time.

With family already excommunicated, he was really her last happy tie to England.

The next day, she sent a long email off basically telling him she is a transwoman. For hours, we waited for a response back from England.

When it finally came, he said it didn't matter to him. He said he'd always thought that she was a bit effeminate, and laughed and said 'who knows, had you been born in the right body we might even be married today'. He then told her he always loved her like a brother, and now he'll love her as his sister.

He went on to say that he's apologizing in advance for screwing up and saying the wrong gender or name. In short, he confirmed that he is an wonderful friend and kind human being. It's only been a couple of days but his stance is that bodies don't matter, just what's inside.

I adore happy endings.

Peace and Love,

Annie