Yesterday’s “Inside Edition” had a brief segment on a couple where the wife is accepting of her husband’s crossdressing. To be honest, I think it’s unrealistic to expect a three-minute segment on a tabloid-ish TV show to explore crossdressing any great depth (for good or ill). It was a bit breathless (“what you’re about to see may shock you…”) but ultimately good in showing that there can be relationships where the crossdressing isn’t problematic. According to people who know the couple, they’re both well-centered people and Shayla and Shirene did come across as a loving couple. Amid the all-too-common portrayal of crossdressing as Jerry Springer-ish dysfunctionality (or worse), it’s nice to see an acknowledgement that those aren’t not the only kind of crossdressers out there.

I think the ultimate value of the segment will be if it helps crossdressers stop hiding and come out their their significant others–or better yet, be upfront about their crossdressing before the relationship gets serious.