The Word Lesbian
The word lesbian is a defined as a “woman whose sexual orientation is to women.” This term describes an identity of a person based purely on their sexual preference. The definition has taken on a largely pejorative connotation due to religion, history and heterocentrism. It also omits the intricacies of human nature because the identity of a lesbian is more than just a woman who has sex with other women. Many older lesbian women and young women lesbians might enjoy women hotels and beach accommodations. There are some places now that not only acknowledge lesbians, but offer lesbian lodging, in a lesbian paradise. There are many bed and breakfast accommodations as well as a friendly bar in the resort areas. These lesbian accommodations are due largely to the increase in gay acceptance in the LGBT society. The LGBT Society is making leaps in recent years due to the integration of queer theory. Between 1.75 and 3.50 million Americans ages sixty and over are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Their numbers should increase as the older population grows in the next thirty years. A major challenge in meeting their needs is the limited research on older persons who are gay or lesbian. Even fewer studies have examined the experiences of bisexual and transgender elders. Existing research suggests that older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults are satisfied with their lives. The concerns they express about aging are often the same that other older people typically report.
Many studies indicate that older LGBT people report high levels of satisfaction with their social support networks. While many LGBT older adults are close to their families, some have less support from families than other older people.
This may be the result of the tensions families experience when a LGBT person reveals his sexual orientation. Instead, many older LGBT people rely primarily on partners and close friends for social support. Unfortunately, society has not always acknowledged the importance of these “chosen families.” A seriously ill gay man may find that his close friends are excluded from participating in decisions about his care. Non-family caregivers may not receive the support and assistance that family caregivers sometimes do. AoA’s National Family Caregiver Support Program, signed into law in November 2000, provides assistance to anyone caring for a frail elder, including unrelated individuals.
Older LGBT persons may face discrimination based on their age and sexual orientation. Consequently, they may not feel comfortable either in organizations serving older people or in LGBT community organizations, and thus may not receive useful services from these groups. The good news is that decades of experience dealing with discrimination based on sexual orientation appear to help older LGBT persons cope with age discrimination. Research also suggests that this resilience may depend on the older person’s integration into the LGBT community, which varies widely. For example, older LGBT people differ in the extent to which they have revealed their sexual orientation to family, friends, and health care and social service providers.
Moreover, generational differences occur among older LGBT individuals, based largely on society’s changing attitudes toward homosexuality. Older LGBT persons may be less likely to identify as gay or lesbian or to participate in LGBT community organizations.
| 
