Marissa Lasoff-Santos and the person she would marry quickly fell head over heels in love.

Lasoff-Santos was a gay woman. Her girlfriend was a bisexual woman 香蕉视频直播� or so they thought. Now her partner has become her husband, and they both identify as queer. And things are better than ever.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e always just had this deep connection, so that香蕉视频直播檚 why, like, I never stopped loving him throughout any of this,香蕉视频直播� says Lasoff-Santos, a 33-year-old librarian in Michigan. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e become more attracted to him. I guess part of it is just, like, that confidence in him and, like, he just seems so happy.香蕉视频直播�

Lasoff-Santos香蕉视频直播� relationship and others like it show that a partner香蕉视频直播檚 gender transition does not necessarily mean a death sentence for a marriage. Data is scant, but couples and therapists say that in many cases, a relationship grows and flourishes under the light of new honesty.

Such marriages, when they do prevail, can underscore the resilience of love, the flexibility of sexual identity and the diversity in 20 years after the in the U.S. and with in its sixth decade.

香蕉视频直播淓ven though he was the one transitioning, I felt like I was going through my own transition,香蕉视频直播� Lasoff-Santos says. 香蕉视频直播淚t was definitely hard to not, I guess, come across as kind of selfish, because I was going through all these emotions, and he was going through his own journey.香蕉视频直播�

Kristie Overstreet, a sexologist and psychotherapist who says she has worked with trans people for 18 years, says about 2 in 5 relationships survive a transition. And Kelly Wise, a sex therapist in Pennsylvania, estimates that about half of relationships in his practice that experience a gender transition end 香蕉视频直播� for many reasons.

香蕉视频直播淕ender identity milestones often arise around times that many things are evolving within people and their relationships,香蕉视频直播� Wise says in an email.

A recent U.S. Census Bureau doesn香蕉视频直播檛 reflect marriages in transition because the bureau doesn香蕉视频直播檛 about gender identity.

Avril Clark operates Distinction Support, an online network that helps supportive partners of trans and nonbinary people. Her spouse, a soccer referee at the time, came out as transgender in 2018, changed her name to Lucy and brought the couple Before then, Avril says, they had kept their arrangement private and 香蕉视频直播渓ived a double life香蕉视频直播� for 15 years.

香蕉视频直播淚 needed somebody to talk to that knew how I was feeling,香蕉视频直播� Avril says. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I looked around, and there weren香蕉视频直播檛 any groups that were for me. They were full of people that were very angry and bitter and didn香蕉视频直播檛 want anybody else香蕉视频直播檚 relationship to work because their relationship hadn香蕉视频直播檛 worked.香蕉视频直播�

Lucy Clark says Avril had been pressing her to come out for years, 香蕉视频直播渂ut I didn香蕉视频直播檛 because I thought it would affect football. And I loved football and had it in my mind that I would give it up.香蕉视频直播� She didn香蕉视频直播檛, and she now manages Sutton United Women in south London.

Avril Clark says that when she took over Distinction in 2017, it had about 50 members worldwide, but now there are 香蕉视频直播渨ay over 500.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e got this group with all these people on it, all fighting, some of them fighting to make their relationship work,香蕉视频直播� she says.

The Reddit group r/mypartneristrans, which describes itself as 香蕉视频直播渁 supportive, educational, and safe space for the partners of trans and gender-diverse people,香蕉视频直播� counts 61,000 members.

Topics include questions about how to handle Mother香蕉视频直播檚 Day and Father香蕉视频直播檚 Day; unwelcoming relatives; sex and pregnancy; and how to categorize a cisgender partner香蕉视频直播檚 sexual orientation. In other words, now that I香蕉视频直播檓 a woman married to a woman, does that make me a lesbian?

Clark says some people call themselves 香蕉视频直播渉eteroflexible.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean 香蕉视频直播業 am a lesbian香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播業香蕉视频直播檓 a gay person,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚t just means, 香蕉视频直播楩or this one person I am prepared to be flexible.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

She estimates her group is 90% cisgender women and 5% transgender or who may also have a partner in transition. The remaining 5% are cisgender husbands, she says.

For people already in a same-sex relationship, a partner香蕉视频直播檚 gender transition can bring angst but also self-discovery.

Lasoff-Santos says she had previously wondered if she could ever be married to a man. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I always said no. And I think it香蕉视频直播檚 hilarious just now that I am.香蕉视频直播�

Couples in transition find different ways to address life from 香蕉视频直播渂efore香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� trips, memories, weddings, anniversaries, family events, photos.

香蕉视频直播淭he partner that isn香蕉视频直播檛 transitioning may want to display and still share all of these versus their partner who may not want these visible or talked about,香蕉视频直播� Overstreet says in an email.

Lasoff-Santos and her husband married in 2018 as he was beginning his transition. They had a son in 2021. When her husband shows their son pictures of himself pre-transition, it香蕉视频直播檚 just 香蕉视频直播淧apa with long hair,香蕉视频直播� Lasoff-Santos says.

One partner may sense a shift the other does not. Emily Wilkinson, 33, who lives near Seattle, says she doesn香蕉视频直播檛 doubt 香蕉视频直播渢hat I love Cameron and will continue to love Cameron.香蕉视频直播� But her vision of their love has changed since her spouse began transitioning last year.

For Cameron, 39, 香蕉视频直播淥ur love doesn香蕉视频直播檛 feel any different to me, but I香蕉视频直播檓 not the one who has to adjust in our relationship.香蕉视频直播� They spoke on the condition that their last name not be used to avoid potential consequences at work, where they are not out.

There can be joy in coaching a partner in their new identity.

Rhiannon Rippke-Koch, 45, lives in a small city in Iowa with Sophia Koch, her recently transitioned wife of the same age. She recalls the first time Sophia got to be herself for a whole weekend, during a trip to Des Moines.

香蕉视频直播淚 took her to Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 Secret and had them measure her for a bra,香蕉视频直播� Rippke-Koch says. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I took her to Sephora, and they did, you know, the whole makeup thing where, you know, with color palettes, and showed her how to do her eyeshadow and foundation and all that sort of stuff. So 香蕉视频直播斚憬妒悠抵辈��

香蕉视频直播淚t was awesome,香蕉视频直播� Sophia finishes, beaming.

The couple also bond over experiences Sophia previously denied herself because of notions about masculinity 香蕉视频直播� musicals, flowers. Rhiannon says they香蕉视频直播檙e now 香蕉视频直播渕uch more intimate, and not even in a sexual way. But we talk about things more. We have more things in common now than we did before.香蕉视频直播�

READ ALSO: