There’s something both radical and profoundly human about someone stepping into their truth—especially when the world assumes your story has already been written in stone.
When Charles M. Blow came out in his 40s, he wasn’t doing it for applause. He was doing it because life had finally met him where he was. “I came out when I was about 40 years old,” Blow told The New York Times last June. “And it was a strange experience because it felt a little bit like you were a person out of time — that people around you had done what you were doing much earlier; they experienced the same feelings that you were experiencing as an older person, earlier.”
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That feeling—of being both too early for one party and too late for another—is familiar to many in the LGBTQ+ community who come out later in life. And it’s the heart of the upcoming ABC special Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life, airing June 6 at 8/7c (and streaming next day on Disney+ and Hulu). The documentary dives into the real lives of people who discovered, uncovered, or finally admitted their queerness in midlife or beyond. Spoiler: there’s no expiration date on authenticity.
For years, queer culture has been poppy, youthful, and often drenched in glitter—but the quieter stories, the ones with crow’s feet and reading glasses, deserve just as much fanfare. Coming out at 17 with a TikTok dance is great. Coming out at 57 with a deep breath and a therapist on speed dial? Also iconic.
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“I felt like I had time-traveled into a queer adolescence,” one participant says in the special, describing the dizzying thrill of their post-coming-out self-discovery. Imagine your teen years—now add rent, a mortgage, maybe an ex-spouse, and enough life experience to know when to leave a bad date early.
For some, coming out later isn’t about delay—it’s about survival. It’s about finally having the safety, language, or courage to say what was always true. And while some folks are throwing shade and slaying in their early 20s, others are slipping out of decades-long marriages and Googling “What is Grindr?” like it’s an ancient spellbook.
And that’s okay. The queer community isn’t a club you age out of. It’s a family that welcomes you whenever you’re ready—no matter your pronouns, playlist, or pension plan.
So here’s to the late bloomers. The ones who came out during a midlife crisis, after their kids left for college, or in the middle of a pandemic-fueled epiphany. You’re not late. You’re just right on queer time.
And let’s be honest: parties are more fun when the adults show up.
Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life airs June 6 at 8/7c on ABC and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Bring tissues. And maybe a martini.
Welcome at ANY age. Better late than never!