Miller Lisa R
Department of Sociology, Behavioral Sciences, Eckerd College, Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA.
Innov Aging. 2023 Mar 2;7(3):igad021. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igad021. eCollection 2023.
Diversity in aging has received increased attention in recent years in the field of gerontology. However, older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people have largely been missing from these conversations. In this study, I examine older LGB people's subjective views on the aging process, focusing specifically on visions of late life.
Life story interviews were conducted with 60 LGB individuals over the age of 55 who reside in the Southeastern and Midwestern portions of the United States. Inductive coding (e.g., line-by-line, focused) and analyses were conducted.
Four major themes emerged from the data: (1) financial distress linked to past events of homophobic discrimination, (2) anxieties regarding staying in paid care settings, (3) desires to age in place or "in community" with other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and (4) a prioritization of quality of life over longevity via plans to pursue assisted suicide.
The findings of this study suggest that views of aging and visions of late life are tied to social group membership, highlighting the need for gerontologists to further consider cumulative inequality processes. The study also offers evidence of queer aging, wherein queer culture, history, and experience produce distinct meanings of aging.
近年来，衰老的多样性在老年学领域受到了越来越多的关注。然而，老年女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋者（LGB）在很大程度上被排除在这些讨论之外。在本研究中，我考察了老年LGB群体对衰老过程的主观看法，特别关注晚年愿景。
对居住在美国东南部和中西部地区的60名55岁以上的LGB个体进行了生活故事访谈。采用归纳编码（如逐行、聚焦）并进行分析。
数据中出现了四个主要主题：（1）与过去恐同歧视事件相关的经济困境，（2）对入住付费护理机构的焦虑，（3）希望与其他女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者和酷儿群体“就地”或“在社区”养老，以及（4）通过寻求协助自杀的计划将生活质量置于长寿之上。
本研究结果表明，衰老观念和晚年愿景与社会群体成员身份相关，凸显了老年学家进一步考虑累积不平等过程的必要性。该研究还提供了酷儿衰老的证据，即酷儿文化、历史和经历产生了独特的衰老意义。
