Partners of distressed transvestites

The authors studied partners of 18 transvestites who sought consultation because of their disorder. They found that all of these women were moral masochists and that all tolerated the self-centered, obsessive-compulsive behavior of their transvestic spouses. Many of these women had experienced multiple losses and poor parenting, and their transvestic partners fulfilled their dependency needs. The authors recommend supportive and insight-oriented therapy for such women who, in order to stay with a transvestic man, sacrifice their own self-esteem and desire to engage in a mutual relationship.