Where are the gay seniors?
September 24, 2008 at 4:33 pm 11 comments
Gay oldies? That goes against nearly every media stereotype of how fabulous we are; being trendy, well-groomed, brand conscious and YOUNG, therefore forever beautiful. Gay people don’t age, they just disappear into faerieland, don’t they?
This article from Newsweek (thanks, Anni) pays lip service to the presence of our senior members. I’m sorry but this line just burns me, “The good news, of course, is that attitudes are changing.”
Whose attitude? The government, legislation, the LGBT community, the senior population … who? And what are we doing about it?
I have very dear gay and lesbian and transgendered friends who are in or approaching their senior years. When I talk to them about being out – for those who aren’t – I get basically two responses: they’d rather stay in with their families as they are treated as respected elders, or they withdraw from the gay community because they feel invisible. This is a loss to LGBT society that needs its elders and needs to remember those that were activists before Gen Y was born.
Frankly, there are issues that affect mature LGBT more severely than the rest of us working adults – health care, succession, pensions and benefits, taxes and more. Some may have an easier time working out legalities because of generic public policies. Others will have no chance of having their partnerships recognised, of receiving fair treatment in hospitals, or getting tax breaks, of not worrying about their kin vs their partner, of being questioned about their resident status, of losing their pensions and their jobs, of surviving.
Between a spineless government and an apathetic community, what can they do?
Ageism is a real issue for the LGBTQ world – young or old, within and without.
By the way, I’m not ignoring the needs of LGBTQ youth. That’s another issue worth pursuing. Suffice to say that I love meeting young women who are as alternative as all get out.
As I write this, there is a bill going through the New South Wales Parliament seeking to repeal or redress the 58 laws and regulations that still discriminate against us. New South Wales is home to the largest gay and lesbian population in Australia. We have the largest pride celebration in the southern hemisphere – Mardi Gras in February brings in millions of dollars revenue for the state, not to mention the constant club circuit. We spend our pink dollars on travel and entertainment by the bucketloads. We vote, we organise, we party.
The bill has just passed the lower House.
Links to link resources for mature aged lesbians and gays:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~jamms/
http://www.sageusa.org/index.cfm
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/adb/ll_adb.nsf/pages/adb_glbti_consultation
Oh dear, not enough sites for lesbians, again.
Entry filed under: Opinion, Queer. Tags: ageism, discrimination, gay seniors.
1. Paul | November 7, 2008 at 4:55 am
I would say it was more like living in a family situation than a retirement home. There was him, me, another lodger, and our landlady. Mr Eames’ room, after it had been redecorated and refurbished, was taken by another elderly gay man!
2. evecho | November 7, 2008 at 10:40 am
Your own pink boarding house! How does this work out? I mean, do you think there is a major difference in your quality of life living with other gay men? What’s the best thing about it and what, if anything, would you like to see different?