Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 18:11:23333936241236292.
doi: 10.1177/23333936241236292. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

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

Rita Carvalho  1 , João Tavares  2 , Tatiana Casado  3 , Liliana Sousa  2 , Sara Guerra  2
Affiliations

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

Rita Carvalho et al. Glob Qual Nurs Res. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

The process of transitioning involves making changes to align one's life with their authentic gender identity. This study explores the life trajectories of three Portuguese transgender women who transitioned later in life (50+ years old) by identifying key chapters in their life courses. Through inductive thematic analysis, six chapters were identified from the participants' interviews: (1) awareness of "something different in me," (2) locked into suffering, (3) finding comfort in something that is socially recognized, (4) "it is enough": it is time to recognize and embrace the woman I am, (5) living my life as 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 realize that there was no time to waste and a sense of urgency to live authentically.

O processo de transição envolve mudanças para alinhar a vida com a identidade de género autêntica. Este estudo explora as trajetórias de vida de três mulheres transgénero portuguesas que fizeram a transição mais tardia (depois dos 50 anos), identificando capítulos-chave nos seus percursos de vida. Através da análise temática indutiva, foram identificados seis capítulos a partir das entrevistas dos participantes: (1) consciência de “algo diferente em mim,” (2) fechada no sofrimento, (3) encontrar conforto em algo que é socialmente reconhecido, (4) “já chega:” é altura de reconhecer a mulher que sou, (5) viver a minha vida como mulher, e (6) construir e deixar um legado. O envelhecimento e o processo de autodescoberta desempenharam papéis fundamentais no processo de transição das participantes. A perceção da finitude e das limitações associadas ao tempo de vida levou-as a perceber que não havia tempo a perder, dando um sentido de urgência para viver de forma autêntica.

Keywords: LGBTIQA+; Portugal; aging; gender identity; transgender; transitioning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Author. 10.1176/ajp.145.10.1301 - DOI
    1. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Author. 10.1176/ajp.152.8.1228 - DOI
    1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Author. 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.807874 - DOI
    1. Ashmore R., Collier E. (2017). Driving to the edge of the cliff': Transgender mental health. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 24(5), 261–262. 10.1111/jpm.12390 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Auldrige A., Tamar-Mattis A., Kennedy S., Ames E., Tobin H. J. (2012). Improving the lives of transgender older adults: Recommendations for policy and Practice. Sage. https://www.sageusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/sageusa-improving-liv...

LinkOut - more resources

-