'I want to be a woman': Canadian senior asks wife for help transitioning to female

Read story transcript

Below is an ASL-interpreted video for the documentary, Being Jacqueline, interpreted by Toronto ASL-English interpreter Kathy Munro, and shot by Andrew Budziak/8 String Media. 

Being Jacqueline, ASL interpretation

9 years ago

Duration 18:25

CBC's Suzanne Dufresne's documentary, Being Jacqueline, shares the story of one prairie couple — senior citizens — who after almost 40 years of marriage thought they had discovered everything there was to know about each other. They were wrong. The video is interpreted by American Sign Language - English Interpreter, Kathy Munro.

This is a story of love and acceptance from one Prairie couple who, after nearly 40 years of marriage, thought they had discovered everything there was to know about each other. 

They were wrong. 

"After 37 years of marriage, my husband has become a woman," Sandy declares in the documentary, Being Jacqueline.

The first time Jacqueline stood infront of Sandy in women's clothes was not easy.

"I'm shaking inside, I'm really nervous. This is the first time my wife has seen me with any of these clothes on," Jacqueline said. 

 For almost 10 years, these clothes were a secret, hidden from his wife in a storage container.  And this secret was with Jacqueline as a child too.

"I've wanted to be a female ever since I can remember. I got caught once by my mother. I thought I was going to die." Jacqueline said.

Sandy stood by her spouse through the transition from male to female and says, "I love him more now than I did before."

Being Jacqueline was produced by CBC Network Producer Suzanne Dufresne. The Current's documentary editor is Joan Webber.

The documentary, Being Jacqueline, has received several awards: a Gracie Award for best documentary, an RTNDA National award for long feature, and a bronze at the prestigious New York Festivals.

* To protect the identities in this story, we are not using real names.