For decades, Susie Stonefield thought she was straight. She was married to a man, had three kids with him, and, from the outside, was enjoying a “perfect” marriage. Then, at 56 years old, she came out as gay—a process that involved a lot of fear, and even grief. But today, she’s happier than ever.
Susie, now 61, is not the only “late bloomer” who discovered her sexuality later in life. Suzette Mullen, 63, didn’t come out until her 50s. Paulette Thomas-Martin, 72, liked girls at a young age but didn’t come out until around 40. Bridget Bertrand, 48, came out six years ago. And both Allison Garcia, 43, and Marina Brochado, 42, started discovering their sexuality around ages 37 and 38, respectively.
As of 2023, nearly 8 percent of U.S. adults identify as queer—a statistic that has increased from 5.6 percent in 2020 and 3.5 percent in 2012, per Gallup. Many of those individuals are Gen Z and younger millennials who came of age during a time of increased LGBTQ+ visibility and representation (in film and TV, for example, and also in real life), and against the backdrop of the legalization of gay marriage in 2015. […]
Click here to read the full piece. This story was originally published by Women’s Health on June 25, 2024.
