The Future of LGBT+ Aging: A Blueprint for Action in Services, Policies, and Research

Only a few decades ago, the aging of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people was relegated to the shadows. The work of several courageous pioneers began to openly question common misconceptions of “old gays” as depressed, lonely, and sexually undesirable. Resisting prevailing stereotypes, they postulated that the positive management of a sexual minority identity was effective in supporting gay men and lesbians for successful aging (Adelman, 1990; Berger, 1980; Berger and Kelly, 1986; Butler and Hope, 1999; Gray and Dressel, 1985; Kehoe, 1986; Quam and Whitford, 1992; Sharp, 1997). Yet today, LGBT older adults remain largely invisible in aging services, policies, and research, despite the population’s rapid growth. An estimated 2.7 million adults ages 50 and older self-identify as LGBT in the United States, including 1.1 million who are ages 65 and older. By 2060, the number of older adults who self-identify as LGBT will exceed 5 million. These estimates more than double when considering same-sex behavior and romantic relationships (Fredriksen-Goldsen and Kim, in press).