MICHAEL PHELPS: Girlfriend Is Transgender

Now we know why the woman Michael Phelps was with the night of his DUI arrest has been so secretive -- she's transgender.

Taylor Lianne Chandler posted a lengthy note on Facebook last night (Wednesday) telling her side of the story. She wrote, "I knew that if him and I were photographed or seen together, the media would want to know who I am... To him I said it was because I grew up with a famous father. The truth is I have been living with secrets my whole life."

Chandler admits to her own checkered past, having been arrested for extortion and a DUI. She says that despite a driver's license that read "female," she was put in a men's jail cell and raped. But she says she's been living a "normal" existence for the past 20 years.

She believes that Phelps's troubles are probably going to put an end to their relationship, because his handlers will want to minimize distractions as he attempts a comeback in time for the 2016 Olympics. 

photo via getty