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Michael Price

Psych of Aging

Professor Stathern

May 2009

GLBTQ Aging

Aging in the GLBTQ community is very much like aging in the heterosexual community.

GLBTQ individuals still experience ageism, the risks of disease, and the many other issues that

accompany the aging process. Though they are similar in many ways, because of strong societal

beliefs, they also differ significantly. One big issue now is gay marriage. From my interview

with Michael Chanak-a 59 year old volunteer at the Gay and Lesbian center here in Cincinnati,

doesn’t believe that the majority of the elderly GLBTQ community focuses on this, but it can

still have a detrimental effect on the community because of the lack of benefits. One of the

major focal points Chanak believes is job discrimination, which in most of Ohio it is legal for

employers to discriminate against individuals for their sexual orientation. Not only do GLBTQ

seniors have to worry about job discrimination, but discrimination in nursing homes as well.

This ultimately tends to push elderly GLBTQ seniors not to come out, leading to an invisibility

of the community, which could potentially cause fear and anxiety. This can prevent GLBTQ

seniors from seeking basic care that is more easily accessible to the heterosexual GLBTQ

community. This is not to say that aging in the heterosexual community is easy, this is only to

address the additional issues that GLTBQ seniors face that is somewhat unseen to the majority of

society.
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The issue of gay marriage has been making some headlines recently. As of now, in the

United States, only 5 states recognize same sex marriage legally: Connecticut, Maine, Vermont,

Iowa and Massachusetts. California will also be reconsidering proposition 8 very soon, which

could make it the 6th state to legalize same sex marriage. Only having 5 states recognize gay

marriage is a major problem for elderly GLBTQ seniors who have life partners. If their partner

were in the hospital, they would have no legal right to see them, or to make any decisions on

their care. If their partner were to pass away, they would have no legal claim to their health

insurance police, or social security, or any other benefits that are recognized by a legal marriage

(in most states). This costs GLBTQ seniors an estimated 24 million dollars a year (Ten More

Good Years, 2008).

When I asked Mr. Chanak about his feelings on discrimination in nursing homes, his

reply was “well, it depends on how cute the orderly is.” Not every GLBTQ senior has a sense of

humor like Chanak’s, and it’s estimated that around 73% of elderly GLBTQ individuals fear that

they may be discriminated against for their sexual orientation (Jackson, Nick C., Johnson,

Michael J. and Roberts, Roe. 2008) There was also a survey done in San Francisco that reported

that nearly half of area agencies on aging reported that gays and lesbians would not be welcome

at senior centers if their sexual orientation were know (Ten More Good Years, 2008). A lot of

GLBTQ individuals -82% (Jackson, Nick C., Johnson, Michael J. and Roberts, Roe. 2008)

believe that some type of sensitivity training would help to possibly alleviate some of the tension

and fears in searching for a GLBTQ senior center or nursing home.

It isn’t truly known how many GLBTQ seniors there are in the United State. It is

estimated that “3–8% of the population is lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The total number of older

LGBT Americans would therefore be about 1–3.5 million persons. Additionally, there are no
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credible estimates of how many Americans are specifically transgender. Using these same

projections, one can estimate that in 2030 there could be approximately 2–7 million older LGBT

people” (Shankle, M., Maxwell, C., Katzman, E., & Landers, S. 2003). The pre and post

stonewall cohort affect can be attributed to much of the findings so far; after the stonewall riots,

it is believed that people were more open with their sexuality (Shankle, M., Maxwell, C.,

Katzman, E., & Landers, S. 2003). The stonewall riots were a huge step in the gay civil rights

movement, but because of the constant pressure from society to be “normal,” there is still much

fear and anxiety in coming out.

Even with all the statistical data, it’s difficult to see any real problem unless a person can

experience it firsthand. To make up for my age, I decided to interview and elderly GLBTQ

individual to hear from an individual who lives these statistics. Michael Chanak is a 59 year old

retired volunteer at the Gay and Lesbian Center in Northside, who was referred to several times

earlier. Chanak’s personality and tone are very inviting, which made the interview very

enjoyable. When asked about disclosure with his doctor, he replied, “They all know I’m a

screaming queen.” It’s obvious that Chanak has no fears about who he is, which is reassuring

that the elderly GLBTQ community won’t stay invisible. When faced with the misconception

about older gay men having disposable income he stated “I don’t want to live my life, supporting

a possession.” Chanak may not realize it, but he is defeating much of the negative stereotypes

that are associated with the elderly GLBTQ community. He did admit to having feelings of

internalized homophobia in his younger days (around 19 years old), but that did not hold him

back from being the screaming queen he is today.

In thinking of the elderly community, it’s worth it to mention the younger community as

they too play a major role in the depiction of the older community. When asked about the
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younger GLBTQ community and its involvement with their GLBTQ elders, Chanak responded

with, “I don’t think they see it as an issue, I think how you treat your seniors will tell you

something about the condition of the community at whole.” The ideal of how people treat

seniors not only applies to the GLBTQ community, but the heterosexual community as well. To

sum everything up, Michael believes that there should be more interaction between the elder

GLBTQ community and the younger generation as they are both intertwined and are natural

allies. He believes that there are plenty of things that the older GLBTQ community can do

because they can devote a significant amount of time in the community because of retirement,

but that they younger generation needs to play a more active role in reaching out.

There are number of issues that the elderly GLBTQ community faces that their

heterosexual counterparts do not have to deal with. From multiple facets of discrimination, to

not having as many legal rights, there is still a tremendous amount of work to do. Not only these

additional problems, but ones that come with normal aging as well that is seen across all

orientations and genders. Though there are many misconceptions and assumptions about the

elderly GLBTQ community, there is reason to believe that with individuals like Michael Chanak,

more knowledge, and making the community visible, those negative stereotypes that society

believes will change.

[Author’s Note: Proposition 8 failed to be repealed so there are still only 5 states that

legally recognize gay marriage. Also, special thanks to Michael Chanak for being a great

interviewee and providing in depth, and interesting responses.]

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Bibliography

Shankle, M., Maxwell, C., Katzman, E., & Landers, S. (2003, June). An Invisible

Population: Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals. Clinical

Research & Regulatory Affairs, 20(2), 159. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from

Academic Search Complete database

Jackson, N., Johnson, M., & Roberts, R. (2008, April). The Potential Impact of

Discrimination Fears of Older Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender

Individuals Living in Small- to Moderate-Sized Cities on Long-Term Health

Care. Journal of Homosexuality, 54(3), 325-339. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from

Academic Search Complete database.

Shankle, Michael D., et al. "An Invisible Population: Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and

Transgender Individuals." Clinical Research & Regulatory Affairs 20.2 (June

2003): 159. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State

abbreviation]. 11 May 2009

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9947250&sit

e=ehost-live>.

Ten more good years. Dir. Michael Jacoby. Look Out Films, INC 2008