Gay and lesbian baby boomers have seen extraordinary gains in social acceptance during their adult lives — especially in Massachusetts, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. Yet now, as they look ahead to old age, long-buried fears of isolation and discrimination are resurfacing. Men describe visiting a friend at his nursing home only to find him eating alone and isolated from other residents. Others interviewed for the article fear “going back in the closet” to avoid similar treatment by fellow nursing home residents and staff. To find out more about issues facing seniors in the LGBTQ community, read the Boston Globe articl below.
Gay boomers look ahead to an old age colored by uncertainty and the help of friends
By Robert Weisman | Boston Globe Article
Paul Glass, who grew up gay in the 1960s, has painful memories of being called a “faggot” in his Roxbury neighborhood and on excursions into downtown Boston. He’d like to think all that’s behind him now. People at the stores where he and his husband shopped for their wedding flowers and centerpieces six years ago “were genuinely happy for us,” said Glass, 68, a retired sales executive who lives in Falmouth and drives for Uber part time.
But old fears rush in when he recalls visiting a gay friend in a senior facility. Feeling shunned by other residents, the man took his meals alone.
“When we get older and we have to depend on others, how will we be treated?” Glass said. “Some people will have to go back in the closet.”
Gay and lesbian baby boomers have seen extraordinary gains in social acceptance during their adult lives — especially in Massachusetts, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. Yet now, as they look ahead to old age, long-buried fears of isolation and discrimination are resurfacing. Many lack the support of extended families that straight people often can count on. And social service agencies report that harassment of older gays and lesbians is a problem nationwide.
