Paul Willis

This month is LGBT+ History Month, and the theme is activism and social change. Over the last seven decades, older LGBT+ people in the UK have had a lot to protest about. People born in the 1940s and 1950s (the ‘baby boomer’ generation) had lived through decades when sex between men was an illegal act punished through the criminal courts (until a partial law change in 1967).

Some older people may have been pressured to undergo conversion practices and will have experienced pharmaceutical, psychological and faith-based treatments to ‘correct’ their sexuality and gender identity. Others may have been told their sexuality and gender identity are mental illnesses and require fixing through medical and psychiatric practices.

A 2018 survey of 100,000+ LGBT people in the UK highlights how older people and people from minority ethnic groups were more likely to report requests for and receipt of conversion practices compared to younger and White respondents.

Many older people have led and been part of activist efforts to protect equal rights and recognition for LGBT+ people in the UK. I once had the privilege of interviewing a housing resident in his 80s who had been part of the gay liberation movement in London during the 1970s. His story was an important reminder of the importance of proximity and connection to LGBT+ groups for enhancing people’s social wellbeing and reducing loneliness.

Many older LGBT+ people were active participants in protest and activist efforts to address the social and public stigma and lack of recognition, treatment and support for people living with HIV during the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s. Older people will have lent their voices to protest against the introduction of Section 28 in 1988 – a Government-led law change that prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools.

In more recent decades, we have seen the efforts of LGBT+ veterans in speaking out and calling for state recognition and remuneration for the harms and discriminatory treatment exercised against LGBT+ people serving in the Armed Forces. Prior to 2000, LGBT+ people were banned from serving in the Armed Forces.  Of course, this did not prevent many older LGBT+ people from serving.

Through the DICE study, we captured four older people’s accounts of getting older as LGBT+ and contributing to local activism in earlier decades and in the present. The DICE study was a three-year research project looking at the social inclusion of different groups of older people in housing with care schemes in England and Wales. Housing with care models include extra care housing and supported living schemes where older people maintain their independence in their own homes while sharing communal living with others and receiving extra care and support when needed.

We found that while older LGBT+ people felt comfortable being ‘out’ and known as LGBT+ in their scheme, they still sometimes felt isolated and excluded by other residents. LGBT+ residents told us about witnessing homophobic and transphobic conversations between other residents and occasionally being targeted themselves. Older LGBT+ residents looked outward to external community groups and organisations representing their identities and interests rather than groups running within their schemes.

We wanted to ensure their personal stories, including their stories about scheme life, were heard. To help achieve this, we created a series of podcasts that feature four LGBT+ resident speaking about their life experiences, what matters to them, and what they value about living in housing with care schemes. Each episode is accompanied by a learning resource aimed at raising awareness of housing staff, managers and other professionals who support older people to live independently in their own communities.

Across these podcasts, there are numerous examples of how older people have contributed to activism in communities that matter to them. There’s Sasha, a lesbian in her late 60s and former social worker, who was an active member of feminist and gay and lesbian communities in earlier decades and championed women’s rights while supporting women to leave abusive relationships. Sasha lives with health conditions that restrict her from socialising with other residents in person, but she continues her activism online.

Meet Ward, a 73-year-old gay man who has been heavily involved in campaigning for LGBT+ rights and continues to be heavily involved with community groups and his local political party.  Ward has a long-standing commitment to issues of equality and diversity. And there’s Jane, an older woman who tells her story of coming out as trans in her workplace during her earlier years. Jane was overwhelmed by the support she received from her colleagues at the time, who recognised her bravery in taking this leap. In her current housing scheme, Jane helped set up a pet-sharing arrangement with her neighbours – a seemingly small activity that provides residents with much-valued contact with animal companions. Activism and making a change in the lives of others comes in many forms.

Each podcast is accompanied by key learning points and highlights relevant legalisation. And each podcast emphasises the core message of how important it is for all residents to feel safe and secure in their own homes as well as being able to enjoy older age as LGBT+ individuals.

The DICE project captured lots of good examples of how housing staff support all residents in their schemes. But there’s also a lot more housing staff and managers could do to make sure LGBT+ residents enjoy a good life in housing communities and that their life experiences, personal histories and identities are recognised and valued. Over the last two years, I’ve been working with some housing providers to embed the podcasts in their equality, diversity and inclusion training. This is a small but important step towards enhancing support and recognition for LGBT+ residents – including those residents with past and present stories of activism.

• Paul Willis is a registered social worker and has led and been part of several research studies focused on the long-term care needs of older LGBT+ people. Other areas of research interest and expertise include housing, ageing and social inclusion; unpaid carers and social isolation; loneliness, ageing and later life; older men’s social connections; and, social work with older people. Email: willisp4@cardiff.ac.uk