I have seen comments on line or people ask me if I was angry at Brooke for waiting as long as she did to tell me she was a women. Angry with her for marrying me, having children with me, being married to me for over 20 years before telling me. But for me anger was never my primary emotion. At least not anger towards Brooke. I think for me the reason I never felt the anger people expect me to is I can appreciate how challenging this was for her. We are in our mid 40s when we were growing up this was not talked about, and when it was it was a joke in a sitcom plot line. Even as early as the Friends series, Chandler’s mother is a joke. Even if Brooke has the words, the experiences or the role models to express what she was feelings, she would have been dismissed, made fun of or bullied. Things have gotten better but sadly even today for young people society still wants to push aside those of us who are different, who don’t fit into the perfect mold of what society expects. So my anger doesn’t get directed at Brooke who was just doing what she had to do to survive. My anger is directed to society and the social construct it has created that prevents people from being their authentic self. I am blessed with a wonderful marriage and two wonderful boys because of Brooke forcing herself to live as a man. I do not feel anger.