Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network
LGAIN - An ASA Constituent Group

This is the moving story of African American poet Audre Lorde's confrontation with breast cancer. As a middle-aged lesbian, she meets the challenge with the strength of a true Amazon warrior.

Beginning in the early 1970s, May Sarton wrote as an out lesbian about lesbians and other women, but also about love and life and how to live it. In this, her last journal, we read her perceptions on aging -- how the body tires, the spirit lifts, energy returns and projects abound.

Margaret Cruikshank presents us with a collection of essays, opinions, poems and stories about aging. This international collection includes writings by gay men, lesbians and heterosexual people of diverse backgrounds who are old, are approaching old age, or are caretakers of the old.

The second edition of this definitive work on gay men ages 40 and older includes the original text and transcripts of interviews, as well as new articles and research. Topics include age-status labeling as well as sexual attitudes and behavior in midlife. The book debunks myths about aging gay men as it sheds light on their life experiences.

This book summarizes research on aging gay men through 1996 and discusses related findings. The studies conclude that gay men adapt well, both psychologically and socially, to the aging process. With tables and direct quotes, the authors let older gay men speak for themselves about their perceptions, experiences, needs, anxieties and strengths.

This collection of 13 articles includes research on aging as well as some very moving personal stories. The chapter by Lee contains an interview with a gay man who survived his partner of 33 years even though his partner was 30 years his junior. In another chapter, Beth Dorrell recounts the relationships of seven lesbians who formed a support group for a terminally ill 84-year-old lesbian. Margaret Cruikshank's survey of gay and lesbian research on aging gives the reader a good overview of work done in the 1970s and '80s. For an in-depth review, see the summer 1995 issue of OutWord.

This book is a wonderful collection of the fascinating stories of nine old lesbians. Each story is well crafted and reads like a novella. Together they present a sometimes funny and sometimes sad voyage through U.S. lesbian history of the mid-20th century.

Essays from the perspectives of the surviving partners of gay men who died, some from AIDS. This anthology also includes interviews with the surviving partners of two noted gay writers: Don Bachardy, lover of Christopher Isherwood, and Winston Wilde, partner of Paul Monette. The editor, an openly HIV-positive gay therapist, concludes the work with a chapter on mental health considerations for gay widowers.

The principal tasks for gay men as they move into midlife and beyond, say the authors, are fighting the ageism pervasive both in society at large and in the gay male community, and fighting internalized and externalized homophobia. This book creates a new paradigm of aging for gay men that presents their unique life experience as a source of wisdom. For an in-depth review, see the summer 2001 issue of OutWord; reprinted in the Featured Articles section of the LGAIN home page.

This book presents a balanced account of the varied life experiences and continuing quests of older lesbians and gay men. The resources sections include a still-useful look at the literature; the listings for organizations and hotlines are, however, largely out of date. For an in-depth review, see the winter 1994 issue of OutWord.

This helpful, enlightening book explores the development of the sexual identity of women in the United States today and provides social services and healthcare professionals with essential information to help them improve services to lesbian and bisexual women. The author analyzes her interviews of 24 women who came out as lesbians or bisexuals after a heterosexual marriage, offering clear insights and possible solutions to the difficulties and issues involved.

The author of this study interviewed 50 lesbians ages 60 and older to learn about their relationships with parents and siblings, children, husbands, and other men and women. She also asked about their social relationships in senior centers and in lesbian and gay organizations. Notable finding: "Our subjects seem to have weathered the widely held view that homosexuality is an illness better than they have been able to withstand the feeling of invalidation that accompanies aging."

Originally published in 1983 and reissued in an expanded edition in 1991, this is the classic book on lesbian aging. The essays include Barbara Macdonald's scathing "Open Letter to the Women's Movement," which condemned the movement's exclusion of old women. The 2001 edition contains a new afterword by Cynthia Rich commenting on the ongoing need to challenge ageism and offering memories of coauthor Macdonald, who died in June 2000 at the age of 80.

From dating through the loss of parents, this book for lesbians and those who counsel them explores the rich world of lesbian relationships at midlife. Offering both theoretical and descriptive material, this timely work provides insight into the opportunities and challenges that lesbians encounter in middle age. For an in-depth review of this book, see the summer 2001 issue of OutWord.

This detailed memoir of Gean Harwood and his lover of 66 years, Bruhs Mero, provides good insights into being old and gay in a society that offers little legal support for same-gender relationships and little social support for bereaved elders experiencing the losses of their same-gender partners. Gean and Bruhs began living together in 1930 and continued to share the same home until Bruhs was moved to a nursing home in 1991, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. For an in-depth review, see the winter 1997-1998 issue of OutWord.

A collection of interviews of American gay men mostly in their 50s and 60s, Quiet Fire demonstrates the rich variety of lives that its subjects have lived. The men represent a range of former occupations, from longshoreman to Hollywood child star. The book also includes an interview with Jordan Lee, who in 1973 founded G40-plus, a San Francisco social organization for gay men ages 40-plus that is still holding regular gatherings.

An insightful and humorous account of the life and love of two women in their 70s whose 20-year relationship began with a chance meeting. "Respect the crones within," the book says, "they are the keepers of wisdom" -- and indeed they are, as they embrace and celebrate aging within the context of their devotion to each other.

Edited by LGAIN Leadership Council member Jean K. Quam, this collection of essays explores the diversity of interests and social service needs of older gay men and lesbians. The book helps fill the gap in knowledge about this often isolated and underserved population, offering a useful resource for professionals interested in providing gay and lesbian older adults with appropriate services.

We're still at the point where the best book on family issues related to transgender elders is fictional. Trumpet is written from the perspectives of trumpeter Joss Moody's widow and adult son, among others. It's a sensitive and eye-opening portrayal of how the people around Moody cope with the world finding out that the trumpeter was a female-to-male transsexual.

Village Elders is a moving photodocumentary on the pioneering elder LGBT community in New York City. The book features text profiles and black-and-white portraits of a wonderfully diverse group of older adults. A selection of portraits from the book can be viewed on the press's website at www.press.uillinois.edu/f00/coleman.html and on the LGAIN home page.

A handsomely designed and illustrated volume featuring reflections from 14 gay male couples, many ages 50-plus, whose commitments have lasted 10 or more years. By candidly telling their own stories, the contributors give authentic voice to what it means for them to be in long-term, loving partnerships.

Periodicals

A newsletter published three times a year for "the aging crossdresser and other older transgendered persons," Old Hags and Sagging Bags features personal stories, humor, resources, age-specific style tips and events announcements from across the United States. The current issue as well as all back issues since 1996 are available free in PDF format on the website of the publication. A print version is available by subscription.

Videos

Presented as a series of vignettes and interviews, Beauty Before Age tackles the gulf that divides younger and older gay men. Men of various ages speak frankly about their feelings about growing old, the invisibility of older gay men in LGBT communities, and the impact of AIDS. For an in-depth review, see the spring 1999 issue of OutWord.

This documentary features five Swedish lesbians ages 60 to 75. The women talk about their lives, their experiences coming out during more repressive times, and their political activism.

This documentary profiles the life of the late lesbian activist Christine Burton, who founded the Golden Threads contact newsletter for older lesbians. The video generates an intergenerational dialogue about sexuality, life choices and aging by adding the director's wry and introspective narrative about her midlife crisis. The producers are currently putting together a study guide to support educational uses of the video.

This critically praised feature film depicts the joys and struggles of several white lesbians who have lived during different eras in the same house. In the first segment, set in 1961, Vanessa Redgrave provides a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of an older woman forced to move out of the home she had created with her recently deceased lover.

This award-winning documentary tells the story of 73-year-old longtime gay activist James Egan and his relationship -- which spans nearly 50 years of gay history in North America -- with his partner, Jack Nesbit. More recently, the two men took the Canadian government to court to fight for legal recognition for same-sex couples.

A great movie depicting the life and times of Ruth Ellis, an African American lesbian living in Detroit. We see Ruth "discovering the lesbians" at the Michigan Women's Music Festival when she was in her early 90s; in addition, we learn about the history of black lesbians as we get to know this wonderful woman.

This experimental documentary interweaves historical images with beautifully shot, sexually explicit footage of old lesbian and gay couples making love -- a rare instance of erotic imagery escaping the exploitation and youth-fixation that dominate commercial pornography.

This documentary profiles participants in the programs of Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE), the pioneering social services provider for LGBT elders in New York City. This video would be a useful tool to raise awareness of LGBT aging issues among professionals working with old people. The video profiles the organization's programs, including friendly visitors, trips and tours, socials, exercise sessions and discussion groups. SAGE participants also discuss their feelings about aging, as well as the enjoyment and hope they receive from being active in SAGE.

One of the best documentaries for sensitizing both LGBT and heterosexual groups to issues of aging and sexuality. This video includes particularly wonderful interviews with two men who have been in a relationship for 55 years and with an African American grandmother.

This compelling documentary tells the life story of Blue Lunden, now in her 60s, a working-class lesbian activist whose personal life chronicles 40 years of changes in lesbian identity and consciousness.

In this documentary, 11 warm and funny older lesbians ages 50-68 from Minnesota's Twin Cities sit in a circle and talk about their lives past and present. They focus on a series of topics such as coming out, invisibility and intergenerational issues, and end speaking positively about old age. The movie features LGAIN member Nancy Edwards. For an in-depth review, see the spring 1997 issue of OutWord.

Websites

Produced by AARP, AgeLine is an extensive database of citations for books, articles and videos related to aging -- including the concerns and issues of LGBT elders. Searches using keywords such as "gay aging" provide citations for a considerable number of publications. (Note, however, that searches using "transgender" produce records containing unrelated words starting with the prefix trans.)

Classic Dykes is one of the most popular websites targeting lesbian and bisexual women ages 50-plus. The site offers chat, advice columns and original articles.

This LGBT health and wellness site features a searchable database of gay-friendly healthcare providers across the United States. Click on "Today's Provider" on the home page, then search by state and by specialty; geriatric medicine, geriatrics and gerontology are among the choices. The site also lists LGBT health clinics, some of which provide targeted services for elders; adding a listing is free of charge.

The LGAIN Web Guide includes annotated listings for over 450 websites providing information on LGBT aging issues. The links are divided into handy categories, such as "Articles," "Bibliographies," "Film & Video," "Housing," "Transgender," "Women" and "Men." The LGAIN Web Guide is the most comprehensive Web directory on LGBT aging available anywhere.

MEDLINEplus, developed by the National Library of Medicine, is a free source for good health information, including materials addressing health issues for LGBT elders. The site also posts directories from the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

A national organization bringing together local and regional groups for lesbians ages 60-plus, Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC) hosts a website featuring resources for combating ageism, information on the group's oral history project, the full text of the OLOC newsletter, and a list of suggested books and videos.

Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) provides comprehensive services to LGBT elders in New York City. The SAGE website features resources of use to professionals across the United States, including a national directory -- developed in partnership with LGAIN -- of providers offering services to LGBT older adults. The site also gives details on SAGE-net, SAGE's affiliate program for groups working with LGBT elders.

The Transgender Aging Network (TAN) brings together professionals worldwide who have expertise in transgender aging issues. The group's website features a number of original articles on aspects of transgender aging -- including healthcare, marriage, family relationships and social needs. TAN also provides training and consultation on aging issues specific to transgender elders; for more information, contact Loree Cook-Daniels at loreecd@aol.com or (414) 540-6456.

Reports, Manuals & Research Studies

Based on in-depth interviews with 19 men and women raging in age from 50 to 77, this study looks at similarities in the experiences of LGBT caregivers and their heterosexual counterparts, as well as caregiving challenges unique to LGBT people. The author also makes recommendations for steps that health and human services professionals and the LGBT community can take to better support LGBT caregivers.

This highly informative, clearly structured manual is designed to give providers of services for older adults the tools they need to make their organizational cultures more inclusive of lesbian and gay issues and to reach out to the lesbian and gay elders within the populations they serve. Although published for use in the United Kingdom, most of the information and ideas in this manual will prove useful to professionals in North America. (Age Conern has subsequently published a number of other resource packs and fact sheets on LGBT aging. For details, visit www.ageconcern.org.uk/openingdoors.)

Published by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Policy Institute, this comprehensive report summarizes the best available social science information on LGBT elders, reviews state and federal policies, and makes recommendations for policy change and advocacy. It also offers profiles of a range of LGBT elders and includes a resource list.

This dissertation analyzes the stories of ten women who were married to men, divorced them, then entered into relationships with women after they were 40 years old. At the time of the writing, the women were all between the ages of 55 and 70. Some report thinking that they always were lesbian; others that they became lesbian as a political choice; and still others were surprised by falling in love with another woman.

Fact Sheets

Is Your "T" Written in Disappearing Ink? A Checklist for Transgender Inclusion (Glendale, Wisc.: Transgender Aging Network, 2001); 4 pages; free. Downloadable PDF available at http://www.forge-forward.org/handouts/InclusionChecklist.pdf.

This question-and-answer fact sheet was written specifically for LGBT aging organizations and programs to help them measure how well they're actually including transgender people and issues in their work.

The Many Faces of Aging: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Older Persons (Washington, D.C.: Administration on Aging, 2001); 2 pages; free.

Offering a useful introduction to LGBT aging issues, this fact sheet (in English and Spanish versions) provides a succinct overview of key problems that LGBT elders face with family, housing, social stigma and employment. It also notes that in many ways, LGBT people age much the same as their heterosexual counterparts. (These fact sheets apparently were removed from the AOA website in 2004. LGAIN has posted PDFs here: click for English or Spanish.)

Listservs

ElderTG. To subscribe, visit http://www.forge-forward.org/tan/eldertg.php.

A listserv support group for transgender individuals ages 50-plus and for their significant others, friends, family and allies. Although all topics related to living as a transgender elder or as a member of a transgender family are welcome, discussion frequently turns to relationships with family members, both chosen and birth.

LGB Elder Studies. To subscribe, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lgb-elder-studies.

An international English-language listserv for students, academics and researchers working on lesbian, gay and bisexual aging issues. The LGB Elder Studies list welcomes calls for papers, conference announcements and substantive discussion on research issues, theory and methodologies.

ASA Conference Recordings

Each year, LGAIN sponsors a full track on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) aging issues at the annual Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on the Aging; in addition, workshops in other tracks often include LGBT concerns or deal with HIV/AIDS in elders. For information on the conference, visit www.agingconference.org.

Many of the Joint Conference sessions are available for purchase on CD and audiocassette, allowing those unable to attend to learn from experts in a wide range of disciplines who present up-to-date information on research, program models, policy issues and other topics.

Lawrence Media Group offers recordings from every conference since 2006. To review the complete list of recordings or to place an order, visit www.nrstaping.com/asa. The catalog is organized by session number; use the "find" feature on your computer to search for relevant keywords.