Episode #71
Ep. 71- Is It Ever Too Late to Come Out? Transitioning at 70 with Robin Elise Hamilton
★WHERE YOU CAN FIND ROBIN★ Out on the Edge Radio Show - WCOM LP Chapel Hill Carrboro, 103.5 FM, Mondays 3-4pm Stream live at wcomfm.org Email to be a guest - outontheedgeradio@gmail.com ★WHERE YOU CAN FIND US★ Website - www.queerolina.org Facebook - Queerolina Instagram - @queerolinaorg BlueSky - queerolinaorg.bsky.social ★Summary★ This week Becca sits down with Robin Elise Hamilton (she/her), who came out and began transitioning three years ago, right before her 70th birthday. Robin walks us through a lifetime of not quite fitting the mold — failing to meet the rigid 1970s medical gatekeeping around transition, channeling decades of suppressed identity into an 80-hour-a-week theater design career, and finally coming out during COVID lockdown when the "closet" of constant work disappeared. We talk about the moment that cracked things open (her trans best friend no longer feeling safe alone in a men's room), telling her wife of nearly 40 years, and the very specific advantages and challenges of transitioning later in life. Robin also gets sharp about the psychology of transphobia, the sprint to legally update her documents before the 2025 inauguration, and why she believes it's never too late to become who you are. Funny, wise, and unflinchingly honest. ★Keywords★ transgender elder, transitioning later in life, trans woman, queer elder, coming out at 70, gender identity, LGBTQ North Carolina, trans healthcare, Out on the Edge, queer aging, trans rights, gender affirming care
