Sometimes I’ve Got to Pinch Myself: Linda Wilson

Linda Wilson* and her partner, Anne* enjoy entertaining their large circle of friends at their home near Concord. In June they hosted a lobster cookout; a few weeks later, the couple welcomed guests for a Fourth of July celebration. Many of their friends attend the same Concord church that they do.

Linda, (*who asked that her and Anne’s real names be withheld because of privacy concerns), joined the church nine years ago, after she began the process of transitioning when she was in her late fifties. She immediately found a welcoming and accepting congregation and a community that she embraced enthusiastically, including holding a leadership position. “That part of my life has been enriched beyond anything I had hoped for,” Linda says. Perhaps not surprisingly, the church is where she and Anne first met, back in January of 2011. 

Now in her early sixties, Linda describes her transition as a journey. There were many lonely years of hiding who she really was, but with the help of a therapist—and the support of friends—she has become comfortable living her life openly as the woman she knows herself to be. Two years ago, Linda began receiving medical treatment to help her body better conform to her female gender identity. Her life, she says, is much more fulfilling now.

“Since I started being myself, being comfortable, being very happy, the relationships I had have deepened,” says Linda, “and I’ve been welcomed into the female circle. It’s terrific.”

For the past nine years, Linda has held a marketing position with a small technology company. It’s a job that she loves and at which she excels, and it pays well. But while many of her colleagues know Linda is transgender and it is not an issue for them, she feels she has to wear male attire and use a male name in the workplace out of concern she will jeopardize her employment and her financial security, a risk she’s not willing to take at her age.

“If I were 45-years old it would be a whole different story,” she says.

Her fear is not unfounded given that many transgender people are either fired or not hired for jobs simply because they are transgender. Nonetheless, she did not arrive at this decision lightly, doing so with the support of her therapist.

“It’s a very complicated situation. There’s a lot of dynamics to it,” says Linda.

“I do keep a low profile,” she says of her workplace demeanor. “I don’t put [being transgender] in front of anybody because that’s not the point. I do function, other than that, one-hundred percent as a transgender person.”

That—and Anne—have improved Linda’s sense of happiness and well-being to a degree she never imagined. “Sometimes I’ve got to pinch myself,” she says.