Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults
In spite of the fact that the UK, Europe and USA have ageing populations, little attention has been paid to the relationship between ageing and sexuality. Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults is a sociological study of the experiences of older LGB adults, providing a full examination of the relationship between ageing and sexuality amongst other sources of identity and social division, such as gender and social class. Furthermore, it offers an analysis of the major historical processes, institutions and discourses that are shaping our modern understanding of the lives of older LGB people.
Drawing on theoretical and empirical insights gained from sexuality studies, social gerontology and the sociology of later life, this book offers an in-depth understanding of the diverse and complex experiences of older LGB adults, thus providing a serious study of the lives of a significant social group that has until now remained at the margins of mainstream academic study. It, therefore, sets the agenda for a queer informed sociological understanding of later life.
Engaging with issues concerning gender and ethnicity, legislative and policy developments, the use of identity categories, social identity and relationships, and experience of medical, housing and care services, Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults will appeal to those with interests in ageing, identity and sexuality from a wide range of disciplines.
Andrew King is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Surrey, UK, and co-editor of Sociological Objects: Reconfigurations of Social Theory.
Older Lesbian, Gay and
Bisexual Adults
Identities, intersections and institutions
Andrew King
First published 2016
by Routledge
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2016 Andrew King
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: King, Andrew, 1968 September 15-
Title: Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults : identities, intersections and institutions / by Andrew King.
Description: Burlington : Routledge, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015037915| ISBN 9781409402558 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781409402565 (ebook) | ISBN 9781472400932 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Older lesbians. | Older gay men. | Bisexuals. | Sexual minoritiesServices for. | Sexual minoritiesIdentity.
Classification: LCC HQ75.55 .K56 2016 | DDC 306.76/60846dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037915
ISBN: 978-1-4094-0255-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-59877-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
This book would not have been possible without my fellow researcher, collaborator and good friend, Dr Ann Cronin. We collaborated on all of the research that forms the basis of this book and began writing it together. Many of the chapters contain elements of publications we co-wrote and when I read them I am reminded of the very productive working relationship we enjoyed. Anns decision to move on and pursue other directions in her life has been, by turns, challenging, saddening, but ultimately inspiring. I thank her for letting me continue writing this book alone and I will always remain indebted to her academically. I also owe considerable gratitude to my editor at Routledge Neil Jordan. He has stuck by this project, always helpful and, above all, incredibly patient!
Over the past few years I have had the privilege to meet, get to know and work with many people researching LGBT ageing. But I especially want to thank Kathy Almack, Sue Westwood, Tung Suen and Paul Simpson. Our discussions have often made me pause and think further about a particular point and all four researchers have been very generous in their critical and supportive comments about my work. I would also like to thank the participants in the research I conducted, for giving their time and sharing their stories. I hope I have done justice to their stories and have used them in ways that make others consider and question what ageing as an older lesbian, gay or bisexual person means.
Finally, I must acknowledge the friendship of David Matthews and the love of my parents Sylvia and Douglas and my partner Anthony. In one way or another, without these people, this book would never have been written.
Some material now included in also contains some material that appeared in King, A. 2016. Troubling Identities? Examining Older Lesbian, Gay and/or Bisexual Peoples Membership Categorisation Work and its Significance. In Ageing & Sexualities: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, edited by E. Peel, R. Harding 163-182. Farnham: Ashgate. It is reproduced here with permission of the publisher (Ashgate).
Some material now included in first appeared as part of Cronin, A., and King, A. 2014. Only Connect? Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) Adults and Social Capital. Ageing and Society no. 34 (2): 258279. It is reproduced here with permission of the publisher (Cambridge University Press).
contains some material that first appeared in King, A., and Cronin, A. 2013. Queering Care in Later Life: The Lived Experiences and Intimacies of Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults. In Mapping Intimacies: Relations, Exchanges, Affects, edited by T. Sanger and Y. Taylor, 112129. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. It is reproduced here with the permission of the publisher (Palgrave MacMillan). The chapter also contains a small amount of material that also appeared in King, A. 2016. Queer(y)ing Dementia Bringing Queer Theory and Studies of Dementia into Dialogue. In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Individuals Living with Dementia, edited by E. Price and S. Westwood. London: Routledge. It is reproduced here with permission from the publisher (Taylor & Francis).
draws extensively on the following article King, A. 2015. Prepare for Impact? Reflecting on Knowledge Exchange Work to Improve Services for Older LGBT People in Times of Austerity. Social Policy and Society no. 14 (1): 1527. It is reproduced here with permission of the publisher (Cambridge University Press).
This book is about the lives of older people who have come to define themselves as lesbian, gay and/or bisexual (LGB), considering questions of identity, inequalities affecting their lives, what histories have shaped their conditions of existence and their relationships with significant others, notably partners, friends, families, as well as the people and institutions that provide services they use or imagine they might use as they age. It explores their social networks, forms of resilience and experiences of ageing. It is written primarily from a sociological viewpoint, although it draws on ideas and studies from a range of other disciplines, including gerontology, feminism, social policy, social work and psychology. At its centre is my desire to use sociology to explore and deconstruct the categorisation of people as older LGB adults and the way that individuals are positioned as particular kinds of people because of the intersection of their age and sexuality, amongst other sources of identity and social division, such as gender, social class, ethnicity, geographical location and health status. Overall the book aims to consider differences amongst older lesbian, gay and/or bisexual people, disaggregating monolithic conceptions of lesbian, gay and/or bisexual ageing, as well as comparing their lives with those of older heterosexual people.
