Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People

What does it mean to grow older as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT) person? What gaps in knowledge about LGBT ageing remain? This timely and innovative book reports on a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council which aimed to address gaps in knowledge about older LGBT people and their experiences of ageing. The book discusses the project and contains chapters either specially commissioned or written by leading researchers and activists in the field. Informed by a range of theoretical perspectives, empirical research studies, critical observations as well as lived experiences, this book explores areas of LGBT ageing that have been under-studied. These include: bisexual ageing; trans ageing and older trans people's mental health; ethnicity, culture and religion in the lives of older LGBT people and gaps in knowledge about older LGBT people from minority ethnic communities; intergenerational networks; residential and end-of-life care; and the effects of austerity on services. Written in an accessible style, this book is essential for researchers and policy makers interested in the lives of older LGBT people, people who work with older people and teachers and students interested in ageing, gender identity and sexuality.

Andrew King is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Surrey, UK where he also co-directs the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender (CRAG). He has researched and written about LGBT ageing for more than ten years. Kathryn Almack is Professor of Health, Young People and Family Lives in Health and Social Work at the University of Hertfordshire. She has researched and written on LGBT family lives across the life course over the past twenty years, with a focus on LGBT end-of-life care over the past ten years. Yiu-tung SUEN is Assistant Professor on the Gender Studies Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the Founding Director of the Sexualities Research Programme, the first research programme in Hong Kong dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexuality issues, with a focus on sexual orientation, gender identity, law and social policy. Sue Westwood is a freelance researcher and writer, and an Associate Lecturer with the Open University. She published widely in the field of LGBT ageing.

List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgments; List of contributors; Chapter 1: Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People: Minding the Knowledge Gaps (Andrew King, Kathryn Almack and Yui-Tung Suen); Chapter 2: Bisexual ageing: What do we know and why should we care? (Rebecca L. Jones); Chapter 3: You're not still bisexual, are you? Bi identity, community and invisibility, moving towards and in older age; (Sue George); Chapter 4: Mental Health and Well-Being amongst Older Trans People; (Louis Bailey, Jay McNeil, Sonja J Ellis); Chapter 5: Trans Temporalities and Non-Linear Ageing (Ruth Pearce); Chapter 6: Levels and layers of invisibility: Exploring the intersections of ethnicity, culture and religion in the lives of older LGBT people; (Joanne McCarthy and Roshan das Nair); Chapter 7: Gaps within gaps: Intersecting marginalisations of older Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT* people (Sue Westwood, Yiu-Tung Suen and Vernal Scott); Chapter 8: Intergenerationality and LGBT ageing: assessing the UK evidence base and its implications for policy(Dylan Kneale); Chapter 9: A complex matrix of identities: working intergenerationally with LGBTQ people (Catherine McNamara); Chapter 10: Fabled and far-off places: the preferred futures of older lesbian and gay adults in long-term care environments. (Paul Willis, Michele Raithby and Tracey Maegusuku-Hewett); Chapter 11: 'I Didn't Come Out to Go Back in the Closet': Ageing and end of life care for older LGBT people(Kathryn Almack); Chapter 12: (Not)Putting Policy into Practice: LGBT* ageing research, knowledge exchange and citizenship in times of austerity (Andrew King); Chapter 13: Not 'just a nice thing to do': the effects of austerity on LGBT older people (Martin Mitchell, Mehul Kotecha and Malen Davies); Chapter 14: Conclusion: Minding the Knowledge Gaps? (Andrew King, Kathryn Almack, Yiu-Tung Suen and Sue Westwood); Index