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

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 transicao envolve mudancas para alinhar a vida com a identidade de genero autentica. Este estudo explora as trajetorias de vida de tres mulheres transgenero portuguesas que fizeram a transicao mais tardia (depois dos 50 anos), identificando capitulos-chave nos seus percursos de vida. Atraves da analise tematica indutiva, foram identificados seis capitulos a partir das entrevistas dos participantes: (1) consciencia de "algo diferente em mim," (2) fechada no sofrimento, (3) encontrar conforto em algo que e socialmente reconhecido, (4) "ja chega:" e 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 papeis fundamentais no processo de transicao das participantes. A percecao da finitude e das limitacoes associadas ao tempo de vida levou-as a perceber que nao havia tempo a perder, dando um sentido de urgencia para viver de forma autentica.