Interview with Lindsey Straus | Ep #41

Interview with Lindsey Straus | Ep #41

Author: Rick Koonce May 23, 2025 Duration: 26:28

Lindsey Straus is a 73-year-old trans woman who's also the biological father of three sons -- triplets -- now in their early 40s.


The story of Lindsey's transition --- from husband, devoted dad, and little league coach to trans woman, social activist, and lay minister at her church in Brewster MA --- is truly inspiring and courageous.


But that transitional journey did not come easily or without pain.


After more than 20 years of heterosexual marriage, Lindsey decided to transition and become a woman at the age of 50 in 2001.


Years of separation and estrangement from her family then followed.


Lindsey moved out of the house, while remaining the family's sole breadwinner. But, she was excluded from major family events including vacations and graduations.


All that said, as she tells PFLAG Cape Cod's Rick Koonce in this interview, eventually, reconciliation with her family DID take place. Even with Lindsey's ex-wife, with whom she now talks almost every day.


As for her three sons?


Surprisingly, a common love of the Boston Red Sox by both Lindsey and her grown sons helped heal family wounds and bring her and her boys back into each others' lives.


Lindsey even remembers the exact date: October 18, 2004.


It was the day after Game 4 of the American League Championship series, when the Red Sox scored a major comeback against the New York Yankees.


Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability.


For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html


© 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod


Hosted by Rick Koonce, Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance is built around intimate, unscripted conversations that go beyond headlines. This podcast lives in the personal moments-the difficult family dinner, the quiet realization, the supportive friend’s first question. You’ll hear directly from LGBTQ+ individuals, their parents, siblings, and allies, sharing narratives that are less about grand declarations and more about the daily, nuanced journey toward living authentically. The stories encompass coming out, gender transition, and the complex, ongoing search for belonging, offering a raw and moving look at what courage actually sounds like in real time. Produced by Huntington Northstar Productions in partnership with PFLAG Cape Cod, each episode functions as a personal audio journal, focusing on a single portrait where vulnerability and strength are inseparable. Listening feels like being invited into a deeply meaningful, private conversation that highlights our shared humanity. The collective result is a powerful and necessary tapestry of voices that celebrates resilience while honestly examining the challenges within families and communities. Tune in for a series that connects through specificity, where every story adds a vital thread to the broader fabric of human experience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 56

Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Podcast Episodes
Loving in Secret: Felice Cohen on Coming Out Through Memoir (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
In this deeply moving encore episode of Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, host Rick Koonce sits down with author Felice Cohen to explore love, secrecy, identity, and healing through storytelling. Felice shares the story behind…
Katherine Zappone on Love, Loss, and Ireland's LGBTQ Transformation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:05
In this powerful episode of Profiles in LGBTQ Courage, host Rick Koonce sits down with trailblazing Irish leader and LGBTQ advocate Katherine Zappone to explore her extraordinary journey through love, loss, politics, and…
Julia Cumes on Photography as a Force for Social Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:26
In this episode, host Rick Koonce interviews award-winning photojournalist Julia Cumes, whose work shines a light on marginalized communities around the world. Born and raised in apartheid-era South Africa, Julia witness…
Teen Activist Bradley Forcier on Courage, Politics & Pride [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:25
In this episode of Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, host Rick Koonce sits down with 16-year-old activist and student Bradley Forcier, whose story is both inspiring and timely. Bradley, a rising junior at Falmouth Academy, sha…