"There’s Still Time to be Happy”: The Life Trajectories of Portuguese Transgender Women Who Transitioned at 50+ Years

Abstract

[eng] The process of transitioning involves making changes to align one’s life with their authentic gender identity. This studyexplores the life trajectories of three Portuguese transgender women who transitioned later in life (50+ years old) byidentifying key chapters in their life courses. Through inductive thematic analysis, six chapters were identified from theparticipants’ interviews: (1) awareness of “something different in me,” (2) locked into suffering, (3) finding comfort insomething that is socially recognized, (4) “it is enough”: it is time to recognize and embrace the woman I am, (5) living my lifeas a woman, and (6) building and leaving a legacy. Aging and the process of self-discovery played pivotal roles in participants’process of transitioning. The perception of finitude and the limitations associated with the time of life led them to realizethat there was no time to waste and a sense of urgency to live authentically.