Woman realises she is gay after husband comes out as transgender

8th September 2020

Arizona woman reveals she is lesbian moments before partner comes out as transgender.

Jenni Barrett, 37, and Sarah Barrett, 38, from Phoenix, Arizona have been married for 15 years. Their inspiring story of marriage and acceptance shares an uplifting message of solidarity and growth.

After getting hitched in 2005, the couple set up lives as teachers and have two young kids. At the time of their marriage, Jenni’s partner went by their birth name Seann, but now identifies as Sarah.

Speaking to Unilad, Jenni explained how their big moment of disclosure unfolded: “Sarah rolled over one evening in bed in 2016 and told me, ‘I really need to talk to you – I think I’m trans.’ I’d come to realise why I’d always been so drawn to her, it was because of who she was on the inside – a woman – and not her shell.

“I turned around and said, ‘That’s OK – I think I’m gay’. We’ve had conversations since about this time in our lives and it turns out we were both silently Googling. I was looking up, ‘Is my partner transgender?’ and Sarah was Googling, ‘Am I transgender?'”

Soon after talking it over, the couple told their sons about Sarah’s transition. They believe the conversation and supportive environment was reaffirming for the children. A couple years later, their eldest son, Morgan, came out as gay.

Now, four years later, Sarah has started hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery. The couple use their social media platform to share the story of their relationship and how a relationship can survive a transition.