LGBT ageing

There has been a growth of interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) ageing in recent years.

[1] There is a growing body of academic literature on the subject from the USA,[2] the UK,[3] Australia,[4] Canada,[5] the Netherlands,[6] Israel[7] and Ireland.

[9][10] The earliest waves of research sought ‘to challenge the image of the lonely and bitter old queer’[11] and ‘suggested that older gay men and lesbians are not alone, isolated, or depressed but benefit from navigating a stigmatized identity through crisis competence’,[12] which also informs resilience in dealing with inequalities associated with older age.

[16] There is a lack of research on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) older LGBT individuals, ageing and bisexuality, issues of class and other intersections.

[17][18] Present cohorts of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are more likely to be estranged from their biological families, less likely to have children, and thus less likely to have access to intergenerational social support in later life.