Larry Roach hates pay day.
He knows it means one thing. $1,250 in alimony for something he calls disgusting and unnatural.
His ex-wife's sex change.
“It goes for paying medication for steroids, testosterone, maintaining a beard, mustache and a penis,” said Roach.
After 18 years of marriage and a divorce, Larry's wife, Julia, became Julio. It was a slow transition, but one that is very real when you look at the petite woman who is now a bearded man.
“Once upon a time, I was sleeping with that person. You know, kissing, making love with that person. Yeah, it grosses me out!”
Larry met Julia on a blind date arranged by his mother's friend. The date went so well, that Julia asked him out again. Three months later, the two were married, with a honeymoon in the Bahamas.
Larry began noticing strange things in his wife's appearance. She cut her long, curly hair very short and got multiple tattoos.
That was odd, but not shocking. What did surprise Larry was the night he caught Julia on the couch injecting herself with testosterone. She said it helped her headaches.
He wanted to believe her. Then other things began to happen. “Her voice started getting deeper," said Roach. "I noticed it. She didn't care.”
Then came the beard. Larry didn't know what to think.
“I know she was shaving while I was at work because she started getting the stubble. I saw a 5 o'clock shadow and thought, damn, she needs to shave. What, this is my wife that needs to shave? What's wrong with this?”
Years later, things fell apart and Julia left.
It wasn't until after the divorce, when Larry did some research after his ex got into an accident, that Larry found out Julia was now Julio.
His ex-wife was listed as a male in a police report.
“Any man's ex-wife does not have a beard, mustache and a penis. That's not my ex-wife. I don't know who that is,” said Larry.
Larry had to continue making alimony payments, despite taking his case to court. He's paid out $70,000 so far to his, now, ex-husband.
“I didn't marry a man. I didn't divorce a man. The law is making me pay to a man.”
Larry is now married to his high school sweetheart and has a wonderful life. He says he doesn't wish Julio any ill will, but is afraid he might bump into his ex-wife in the men's room someday.
As for the alimony, it stays at $1,250 a month. The Judge in the case said, “Whatever you're born with is what you are.”
Attorneys for Julio Silverwolf declined our request for an interview.
