Welcome back to Queer Story Time The Podcast where we honor the lived experiences, wisdom, and resilience of LGBTQ+ individuals across generations. I’m your host, Stevie, and today’s episode features a very special guest: Wendy Cole (she/her), a 77-year-old transgender woman whose life and voice are a beacon for so many in our community—especially those navigating transition later in life.

Wendy is a transition mentor, public speaker, podcast host, and truth-teller whose work is rooted in compassion, candor, and fierce advocacy. After beginning her transition in her late 60s, Wendy has made it her mission to support and guide other trans people through their own journeys—offering not only practical tools and emotional accountability, but also the kind of lived wisdom that only comes from doing the hard work of becoming your full self.

Wendy co-hosts Demystifying The Transgender Journey Podcast and is a visible presence across social media and public speaking platforms, using her voice to humanize trans experiences, challenge harmful narratives, and affirm that authenticity has no expiration date. Whether she’s speaking to a room full of allies, mentoring one-on-one, or pushing back against legislative attacks, Wendy’s message is clear: we’ve always been here, and we are not going back into hiding.

💬 In This Episode:

• What it’s like to begin your transition in your late 60s—and why it’s never too late
• Wendy’s radical message to lawmakers and anti-trans legislation: “You can’t legislate us out of existence”
• Why trans youth need support, mentorship, and guidance—not fear
• How conditional love from family shapes our journey—and what real love requires
• Humanizing trans experiences: why everyday conversation creates change
• Wendy’s unapologetic take on transition, sexuality, dating, and self-acceptance
• Hormone therapy, blockers, and the double standard for cisgender vs. trans people
• Why “being afraid” is not the problem—but being uncommitted is
• How Wendy went from stuck to fully transitioned in six months
• A vision for the future: TV, dating, public speaking—and whatever comes next

Wendy’s Links:

• WendyColeGTM.Net
• Demystifying The Transgender Journey Podcast

🔗 QST Resources & Links:

• Support Queer Trans Thriving Mutual Aid Collective's 2025 Rainbow Care Fund on GiveButter
• Find QSTs Website Home at FutureDrStevie.com

📣 Spread the Word, Leave A Review, & Follow QST:

If this episode resonated with you, Stevie encourages you to share it widely! This will also help QST expand to an even bigger audience globally. We would also appreciate you leaving a written/star review to help us build our collective effort to liberate queer and trans people globally.

✨ Join the QST Podcast Community & Get In-Touch:

Looking to see everything happening in our community? Come reach out, connect, and celebrate queer & trans joy together! You can find all QST resources here: https://beacons.ai/qstpodcast

Host: Stevie Inghram, M.S., YT, AWC, NMS-4 (She/They)

In this deeply moving Pride Month episode of Queer Storytime, we center community voices and the power of storytelling to uplift, reflect, and affirm our shared humanity. Host Stevie, shares five personal messages from queer and trans individuals, and their loved ones. Highlighting the resilience, growth, and connection that define our community.

🌈 Featuring messages from:

• Alex – A trans parent of a trans child, sharing a powerful reminder that self-reflection is the most anti-oppressive thing we can do.
• Jackson – A trans man celebrating six years of living as himself, offering a heartfelt message of love and strength for queer and trans youth.
• Jana – A Christian parent whose journey from rejection to unconditional love for her trans son is both sobering and inspiring.
• And more voices affirming that you are not alone.

💬 This episode explores:

• Why inward reflection is essential in the fight against oppression
• The deep need for community support—especially for queer and trans youth
• Stories of transformation, survival, and the power of chosen family
• How allies and parents can show up with love and growth

💖 “If there’s one thing we know to be true—not only presently, but historically—it’s this: We take care of our own.”

✨ Resources Mentioned:

• Listen to Jackson’s full story in Episode 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1muXT9ORP4c (Feb 2024)
• Listen to Jana’s full story in Episode 9:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at6ttAS5th0 (May 2024)

• Read the essay: What I Know to Be True as a Queer and Trans Podcast Host (linked in the episode description)
• Mutual Aid: Apply for care or support the cause via the Rainbow Care Fund 2025

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Support the Rainbow Care Fund on GiveButter
• Read the original blog post at FutureDrStevie.com

📣 Spread the Word, Leave A Review, & Follow QST:

If this episode resonated with you, Stevie encourages you to share it widely! This will also help QST expand to an even bigger audience globally. We would also appreciate you leaving a written/star review to help us build our collective effort to liberate queer and trans people globally.

✨ Join the QST Podcast Community & Get In-Touch:

Looking to see everything happening in our community? Come reach out, connect, and celebrate queer & trans joy together! You can find all QST resources here: https://beacons.ai/qstpodcast

Host: Stevie Inghram, M.S., YT, AWC, NMS-4 (She/They)

🌟 Happy Pride, everyone. May this episode remind you that you are seen, you are held, and you are deeply loved.

Happy Pride to all the dolls, gays, theys, and beyond! We’re celebrating two major milestones in this episode: Pride 2025 coincides with our 25th episode! Host Stevie Inghram takes the mic solo in this heartfelt reflection, offering eight profound truths learned from over a year of powerful conversations with queer and trans guests from around the world.

Based on a widely loved blog post from her new site www.futuredrstevie.com, this episode explores the resilience, wisdom, and beauty within the LGBTQIA+ community and the healing power of storytelling, science, and chosen family.

From our century old fight for survival and the impact of white supremacy on queer existence to the truth that not all queer people can - or should - come out, Stevie’s words are an invitation to deepen our understanding, reframe pride, and commit to a shared vision of healing and liberation.

✨ Key themes include:

• Why queer and trans people simply want to grow old in peace
• The myth that politicians can erase our existence
• How community transforms trauma
• What respect actually looks like
• The importance of allowing queer folks to choose not to come out
• Why your own inner work supports the liberation of others
• The universal possibility of embodying your true self at any age

💖 Plus, two exciting announcements:

1. The launch of a FREE monthly online QST Community Connection group (open to all, including allies!)
2. The debut of the Rainbow Care Fund by Queer Trans Thriving Mutual Aid Collective—a new initiative providing holistic, affirming care for LGBTQIA+ folks through a mutual aid model - https://givebutter.com/rainbowcarefund

Join us for this powerful solo episode that celebrates resistance, joy, healing, and collective care because Pride is about so much more than rainbows.

🎉 Whether you’re out and proud, quietly surviving, or somewhere in between, you belong here in the Queer Story Time Community!

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Support the Rainbow Care Fund on GiveButter
• Read the original blog post at FutureDrStevie.com

📣 Spread the Word, Leave A Review, & Follow QST:

If this episode resonated with you, Stevie encourages you to share it widely! This will also help QST expand to an even bigger audience globally. We would also appreciate you leaving a written/star review to help us build our collective effort to liberate queer and trans people globally.

✨ Join the QST Podcast Community & Get In-Touch:

Looking to see everything happening in our community? Come reach out, connect, and celebrate queer & trans joy together! You can find all QST resources here: https://beacons.ai/qstpodcast

Host: Stevie Inghram, M.S., YT, AWC, NMS-4 (She/They)