I just found TRP by accident and spent an hour there hating it, myself, and anyone who had anything to do with it. I was angry, then sad - finding this sub helped my mood though.

I read a post about their opinions on trans women and trans men and needless to say, and to put it nicely, they didn't favour either idea. Then I read a post about lesbians and how it's all a phase etc. etc. and I felt like I wanted to share a story.

I have an aunt who is now in her late seventies who was married to who seemed like her true love for fifty or so years (married when they were 22 I believe?). They had three wonderful children together and their life was -as far as I can tell- pretty average but happy enough.

So my aunt worked the same job for about thirty years (accounting or payroll or something) and her best friend was this woman, G. She was a lesbian but the nature of the work and her age and the area meant that she wasn't really outspoken about it. Everyone knew but it was kind of a "can't see it so it doesn't really exist." sort of situation. My aunt was probably the first of very few people that accepted her as a person there. Small town. They were friends for the entire thirty or so years they were there and well into their retirement. In the whole of their time together G hadn't had a single long lasting relationship - my aunt said later that she kind of assumed she wasn't the settling down type. She's pretty 'butch' so the whole non-committal thing suited her in a way to other people.

Then my aunts husband died. She was devastated. Her children were devastated. G was devastated since they were also good friends. But they could only really keep going together. They left the small town together and retired somewhere warm with another of their friends and lived there for about three years before it happened.

G and my aunt were playing some casual golf and G asked if she wanted to go out. She asked where and when and G had to clarify. She was asking her out on a date. G would later say that she was so worried shed offended my aunt, that she hadn't waited long enough, that it was totally inappropriate, that she'd ruined their relationship but my aunt is pretty easy going (and maybe a little naive) and shrugged and said yes playfully.

They ended up going on a date and over the next couple of playful romantic dinners, movies etc. G revealed a different story of their relationship. She was in love with my aunt and had been for thirty years. But she loved her husband and her children and her life and couldn't ruin it.

Anyways this is already long but the two got married about a year later. My aunt says that she's the luckiest girl in the world because she got two soul mates and G says shes luckier because she only had one.

When I think of the obstacles, the pain, and the sheer amount of love between those two (who are incredibly happy to this day) the world is a better place with them in it.

TL;DR Woman waits 30+ years to be with the straight woman she was in love with. Totally works out. A+marriage, kids on board. All without bullshit rules, guidelines and hatred.