Saturday, November 9, 2013

Cross-dressing is Taking Over Our Lives

  Wow blogosphere the last eight days have been a horrible storm of anxiety, fear, depression, and tears. Things were so bad that I ended up on the floor of my bathroom, in the dark, with the door locked, sobbing, and unable to even sit up. I was possibly the worst anxiety attack I have had since I was pregnant with Estrid. Lets rewind to the beginning of the month so I can catch you up.

  The first couple days of the month Elvis's mother (hereafter referred to as MIL) was here to visit with us and the girls. For years we have wondered if MIL knows about the cross-dressing, she seems to drop little hints in conversations and wait to see what we do. Elvis has been debating telling her about Evita for awhile now and seeing what she has to say. Part of me likes the fact that we are both confident she will be accepting and loving about that entire area of our lives but of course the other part of me wants to keep this as quiet as possible. Elvis decided that this was the trip, he was going to take her out to dinner and lay it all out on the table. MIL took it in stride, stressed that she loves Elvis no matter what, and professed to have no idea about the cross-dressing. Well Elvis felt joy and relief upon sharing this burden with his mother I was feeling very uneasy about what she was thinking, feeling, and who she would tell.

  The day after "the confession" I took MIL to the airport and told her that acceptance comes in waves, one day the acceptance is there and the next you are angry that Elvis is not "normal." (Normal a la Beaver Cleaver of course) She told me that she did have some idea as Elvis was growing up but pushed it way back into her subconscious. She also confided in me that she feels Elvis is "taking chances" with his cross-dressing, that he is going out too much and could be recognized. When I told her I had the same fear she then turned on me and said that Elvis will always take care of his family and I needed to have faith in him. WTF?

  A few days after that Elvis and I had a rare date night, we are trying very hard to make couple time happen at least twice a month. The girls went to a drop in care center and we went out for dinner somewhere that didn't have place mats one can color. As we are a few miles from the restaurant Elvis tells me that while working on updating his security clearance at work a security officer pulled him in for an interview. Sounds pretty normal right? Then the officer starts hinting around that they have the ability to search and find things on-line that maybe the everyday person can't find. Okay.... They can see a lot of things on-line that maybe you don't think they can see. Okay... They have also checked his phone in the past. Again okay..... Maybe there is something that someone can blackmail him with to his wife. No, I cannot be blackmailed to my wife. People can also try and blackmail you with something to your parents too. Something that they maybe can see on-line that you don't want work to know. No, I cannot be blackmailed to my parents. As long as you are sure you can't be blackmailed for anything you do in your private life. No, I cannot be blackmailed. I immediately started hyperventilating and the fear set in. I worked really hard to bring myself past it so that we could have our rare date night but under all the fear I was so mad that Elvis would hit me with this at this time. Timing is everything for fucks sake and that was some shitty timing.

  The following day was a workday and for the first time in two days I didn't get any kind of call or note from Elvis letting me know when he was planning on being home. On any given day that is not abnormal but after the conversation he night before I FREAKED THE F OUT. I was just sure that he had been pulled aside, confronted, and was getting fired or sent to a Siberian prison or something. The two previous days he had picked up Enid from school and was home by 330, 330 passes, 430 passes, 530 passes. I was so anxious and it was getting worse and worse with each passing hour. By the time I heard the garage door open at 6 I went running out demanding to know where he had been. (Not one of my finer moments but it seems my last few brain cells were fighting amongst themselves and I couldn't think.) Elvis said he was at work, blah, blah, blah, spazzy wife shrieks, wife crying, wife hyperventilating, wife on bathroom floor in the dark. Sometimes I think Elvis may be put up for sainthood after his death, probably caused by exasperation over his crazy wife.

  The day after this my eyes are still so swollen they don't look open but life goes on right? I get a phone call that a family member on my side had been evicted from their home of thirty something years, hadn't been paying bills, etc. I try and help which of course blows up in my face, fights amongst family members ensue, I end up deciding they all can suck it because I have my own problems.

  Oh my sweet baby Jesus, give me a break please!

8 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your stress Elvira. I can only imagine the stress you are under. I hope this next week goes better for you two and the kids. "Amy" my wife, will try contacting you tonight. She has went through a lot as well and she is still my best friend. In some ways this has brought us closer given the deal talks we have had that I am sure a lot of couples never discuss. I hope the best for you two and will pray that you can have peace of mind.

    Janet

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  2. Wow, I wish I knew what to do to help. I wish the best for you and perhaps Janet's wife Amy will be able to give you some practical advise. I hope things get better. Has Elvis read this and have you discussed it? I hope so!

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  3. Elvira, if I could buy you a drink right now, I surely would. I think you could really use it. I know Evita and I know she would never do anything to harm you if she could possibly help it; she loves you as much as I love my own fiancee. You and she might have similar anxieties, I wish you could speak with her as well (though she tends to be very plain-spoken and blunt...her country upbringing, I guess). Be well...

    - Amy (not Janet's wife, different Amy :) )

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  4. Dear "Elvira" (you worked hard on all the names :) ) Again thank you for your posts and insight. They are very helpful to me as I work towards coming out to my wife. I know there are many ups, downs and fears concerned with this. I also knew about her coming out to her mother. I want to first encourage you. I have a CD friend in Columbia, MO who has a great relationship with her wife and kids. They have "girls" nights with "him" his wife and daughter. and sometimes just with the wife. They have kids from about 6 to 17. They like your family deal with it well. From all I can tell, the two of you have normally great communication and understanding. I just wanted to let you know there are other spouses with good relations and still there are ups and downs.

    I also held a military clearance. I'm sure he has any online stuff completely separated from his male side. I have nothing in common between the two id's. I know he is very careful about that, we have talked. (Also, he is a very caring and helpful person, I am deeply grateful) As for the comment of his mother, I can only guess, but am thinking she didn't turn on you but was trying to reassure you that he has you and his familys welfare at the top of his priority list.

    Even as supportive as you are, its normal and ok to have these doubts, trials and feelings. In fact your willingness to share these is what makes this blog so helpful for us and hopefully our spouses. Its nice to see the good times, but the really valuable stuff is the struggles. Life is always richer when you work through a struggle and can look back from the other side.

    xoxo
    Ceri

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  5. Dear Elvira,

    Much of what you have posted in your last blog entry is very familiar to me. I have experienced many similar anxiety attacks from the position of:

    • My all male side reacting to my feminine identification
    • My feminine side reacting to my hard, world oriented male side
    • A progressively integrated me reacting to my wife and family
    • A blend of these sides facing outward toward an ignorant and critical world
    • A position of facing inward with an understanding of role of the anxiety and where all of this leads toward…

    I REALLY want to address this fear of discovery by others; at work, family, etc. The fear of discovery terrifies my wife. Her being so scared of this has been reason to think deeply about this concern and find a way to make peace with us and for us. I have come up with an analogy for her that seems to help both of us.

    In 1996 I brought my wife and our children from their home country (I lived there for 12 years) to Colorado, USA. Our kids adapted quickly but it was hard for my wife. She didn’t speak much English, didn’t drive, couldn’t work and found things like the way we fry chicken to be really weird. I am happy to say that since then, she has adapted nicely. However well adapted, she has not had to reject or purge who she really is as a SE Asian woman or anything else about her deepest self, her identity. Reflecting on this together, she is beginning to understand that I too have a deepest self and identity that is different from the mainstream culture. When asked what her life would feel like if she were forbidden to eat rice at least twice a day or from ever speaking in her native tongue, she can sort of get what I might feel like if absolutely forbidden from wearing a dress and heels. The point is that this is about expressing our inner selves. If that’s what this is about, what can be wrong or bad about that? Who gets hurt? I mean objectively hurt? It’s not anymore illegal for me to put on my prettiest self than it is for her to fry dried fish and stink up the whole block. It has been this kind of dialogue that is little by little freeing me, in our relationship, to be able to do something public like attend a support group en femme.

    (Part 1 of 2 part reply)

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  6. (Part 2 of 2 part reply)

    The next level of this dialogue has been more with myself and is a natural progression of the analogy dialogue with my wife. It’s the part about not being illegal or hurtful. After much consideration I recently disclosed my OMG TERRIBLE cross dressing secret with our oldest daughter (an adult) and later to a co-worker whom I consider a dear friend, in other words representatives of the two most important departments (worldly) of my life. I did this in part because I had arrived at a deep belief that there is nothing wrong with me or my cross dressing behavior! I reject that this is, objectively, a problem or source of shame and rejection. Guess what, my daughter cried with empathy because of the psychological loneliness of keeping this secret. My co-worker replied “Yes! We can go shopping together!” I have been avoiding this?! Since then, I have taken the risk of having this Google account for the fem me with an en femme profile photo. I have opened an account with U R Not Alone to go with my flickr account with plenty of photos. I have done this with the knowledge that ANY online exposure creates a risk of discovery. I have done this knowing that I am likely to go into private practice, which means going public business-wise. I also am keeping open to returning to international development work and the likelihood of State Department security screening. Have this created serious anxiety? Hell yes! But I keeping coming back to the fact that I am doing NOTHING wrong and certainly not illegal in most countries, including the USA where transgenderism in the workplace is protected in most states about to be protected in federal law. So where does this leave the risk of blackmail? Between me and my wife and we both know that, like Popeye, I yam what I yam whether in boxers and cowboy boots or skirt and heels.

    Ay caramba! What a rant!

    I feel for you Elvira! I understand the difficulties, fear and pain. I am also completely convinced that these particular challenges are just another way that we are given to WORK out a transformational quality of love on our journeys toward wholeness that we have been made for.

    Peace sister.

    Crystal

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  7. Hi Elvira, have you paused the blog?

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  8. Hi Elvira, have you paused your blog? It seemed quite promising as a meaningful local forum. Your honesty is inspiring.

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