(2004-08-16) -- New Jersey Governor James McGreevey, who last week admitted that he is an "adulterous gay American" today told a packed news conference that his wife, Dina, is "a male American."

"Despite the fact that she gave birth to our first child in December 2001, I can assure you that my wife is a male American," the governor said. "This should reassure everyone of my status as a gay American, and will silence the shameful gossip that I'm somehow not a fully-gay American."

The announcement is part of the "serious work of transition" that Mr. McGreevey said he's rushing to complete in the 91 days before his resignation takes effect on November 15. Insiders say that additional transitional announcements are forthcoming.

Mr. McGreevey said his wife has struggled with her maleness throughout her life, and especially during childbirth.

The governor added, "I can remember her--I mean him--screaming through the contractions, 'How can this be happening to me?' It took a lot of counseling after that for my wife to come to terms with her maleness, just as I have made peace with my adulterous gayness."

When asked about the sexual identity of his first wife, the governor said, "We're pretty sure she was a male American too, but that announcement will come later in the transition process. We're taking a serious, deliberate approach to ensure the stability of government in New Jersey. We must not hurry through the people's business."