LGBTQIA+ Older Adults

What are the challenges that LGBTQIA+ older adults are facing?

Growing old is a part of life for all of us. However, older adults within the LGBTQIA+ community are often overlooked and can struggle with their identity as moving into various stages of aging. They face unique challenges, including issues of housing, caregiving, health care, discrimination,  and isolation. A 2021 AARP survey found that 41% of LGBTQ adults aged 45 and older worry about having to hide their LGBTQ identity to access housing for older adults, with transgender and non-binary adults expressing the highest levels of concern. After facing a lifetime of LGBTQIA+ discrimination, they are as less likely to have adequate financial funds for retirement. These disparities impact both mental and physical health outcomes. For example, substance use disorders, including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, are all experienced at higher rates. Additionally, older LGBTQIA+ adults have higher rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Despite these obstacles, LGBT older adults also exhibit remarkable resilience.

Intersectional Challenges

It’s important to remember that for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community that is just one identity that they carry, and the intersection of other identities can further impact the unique barriers and inequities that they may face. For example, older LGBTQIA+ women of color face challenges of racism, homophobia, and sexism that have been affecting them all their lives, in addition to issues of ageism that come as they grow older. Additionally, more significant health disparities exist between white LGBTQIA+ older adults and People of Color, as well as between cisgender and trans/nonbinary/gender-expansive older adults.

Financial Concerns

Notably, one-third of LGBT older adults live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. LGBT elders face a lifetime of discrimination in employment, limited access to comprehensive healthcare, housing insecurity, and lack of legal and social relationship recognition. These challenges can lead to poverty, social isolation, and poorer mental and physical health. Furthermore, many LGBTQ+ older adults find themselves in caregiving roles for friends, partners, or family members which adds additional financial and mental stress.

Discrimination leading to Isolation

LGBTQIA+ older adults often face discrimination and feel isolated. Their support networks may be thin, especially if they live in areas with fewer LGBTQIA+ resources. Social stigma, reliance on informal “families of choice,” and unequal treatment contribute to their challenges. Many LGBTQIA+ older adults fear being abused and discriminated against in nursing and retirement houses. These places don’t offer support specifically for LGBTQIA+, and many older adults are choosing to go back into the closet when entering these facilities.

Strength found in Community

LGBTQIA+ older adults have shown remarkable resilience from a lifetime, surviving discrimination, building community, and empowering each other. Strong community ties foster a sense of belonging, self-love, and queer joy.  About 80 % of older adults engage in positive mental health behaviors and overall well-being.

Ways we can support LGBTQIA+ older adults

• Get to know and build connections with LGBTQIA+ older adults in your life.
• Educate yourself on LGBTQIA+ aging.
• Respect a chosen family. Support policies and legislation that is inclusive of chosen families.
• Create and support positive LGBTQIA+ older adults spaces, such as the Center on Colfax’s West of 50.
• When helping older adults find long-term care, question the facility's LGBTQIA+ anti-discrimination, employee, and resident policies. Also, ask current residents about their experiences.  
• Don’t infantilize older adults, give them the appropriate agency and choice in their aging process

Organizations for LGBTQ+ Older Adults

SAGE Organization

SAGE (Services & Advocacy for LGBT Elders) is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older LGBTQ+ people. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE’s mission is to enhance the well-being of LGBTQ+ elders. They focus on providing supportive services and consumer resources to LGBTQ+ older individuals and their caregivers. By working on both local and national levels, SAGE builds welcoming communities and advocates for the unique needs of LGBTQ+ elders related to aging, discrimination, and health disparities.

The Center on Colfax - West of 50:

The Center on Colfax, located in Denver, offers the West of 50 programs. This welcoming space is designed for LGBTQ+ adults aged 50 and older and their allies. It provides engaging classes, activities, events, and social support. The program aims to create a warm and supportive community for older LGBTQ+ individuals.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC)

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has created the Long-Term Care Equality Index, which includes 200 communities to identify residential long-term care and senior housing that provide an inclusive and safe place for LGBTQ older adults. Each facility is rated on its training, resident services, policies,  employee benefits, and engagement.

Documentaries about LGBTQIA+ Older Adults

• The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017): This heartbreaking film is about Marsha P. Johnson’s advocacy and life. It highlights the history and sacrifices that older LGBTQIA+ adults have made to achieve the status we have today in LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy, especially those of trans women of color.
• A Secret Love (2020): A Documentary that shows a lovely lesbian couple transitioning from living at home to a retirement home together with the love and support from family and community. It showcases the joy of coming out and being accepted by a community at an older age.
• The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging: by Jane Fleishman is a collection of LGBTQIA+ elders' stories. In candid interviews, they share their struggles, activism, and sexual liberation. Uplifting the voices of those often marginalized in mainstream LGBTQIA+  history: people of color, transgender individuals, bisexual people, drag queens, and sex workers.

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