Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People: Minding the Knowledge Gaps

人们越来越意识到，尽管50岁以上的女同性恋者、男同性恋者、双性恋者和跨性别者将在一定程度上与所有老年人共享一个共同的现实，但他们的生活将受到社会中性别和性行为的社会组织的强烈影响，有时甚至是负面影响，无论是过去的还是现在的情况。出于我们的目的，我们将50岁以上的人算作“老年人”，但不一定是“老年人”。这些人生活的社会和法律环境在他们一生中发生了重大变化。那些在前几十年出柜或过渡的人面临着相当大的挑战，而那些在后来几年出柜或过渡的人是在非常不同的背景下这样做的。不同世代的LGBT人群以及他们认定为LGBT并出柜或过渡的年龄将受到当时流行的社会态度和规范的影响。尽管越来越多的学术研究人员正在调查老年LGBT人群的生活和需求，除了最近寻求促进平等的法律和政策变化外，仍有一些问题没有得到充分解决。这一系列研讨会将汇集学者、政策制定者、服务提供者和年长的LGBT活动家和社区成员，讨论知识和实践中存在的主要差距，并制定解决这些差距的方法。根据对现有研究的彻底审查，并通过与学者、政策制定者、服务提供者和老年LGBT人士的合作，计划举办六次为期一天的研讨会，以涵盖目前缺乏知识的领域：老年双性恋者的生活；老年跨性别者的经历；老年LGBT人生活中的种族、族裔和宗教；经济、资源和社会网络；代际问题；以及卫生和社会护理。每个研讨会将以两位嘉宾演讲开始，然后是问答环节。随后，将举行一次研讨会，要求代表们制定两个“行动点”，即他们可以以专业或个人身份做的事情，以弥补目前的知识差距，并最终造福于年长的LGBT人群。在研讨会结束时举行的最后一次展示会议将使代表们能够回顾他们在“行动点”方面的进展，考虑挑战和成功，并思考下一步需要采取哪些步骤。总体而言，研讨会系列关注的是增强来自不同背景的个人的能力，填补现有知识的空白。

There is a growing awareness that although lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people, aged over fifty, will in part share a common reality with all older people, their lives will be strongly and sometimes negatively affected by the social organisation of gender and sexuality within society, both in terms of the legacy of the past and present circumstances. For our purposes we are counting people over 50 as 'older' but not necessarily 'old'. The social and legal environment, in which these people have lived their lives has changed significantly over the course of their lifetime. Those who came out or transitioned in earlier decades faced considerable challenges while those coming out or transitioning in later years do so in a very different context. Different generations of LGBT people and the age at which they identified as LGBT and came out or transitioned will have been shaped by the prevailing social attitudes and norms of the time. Despite a growing number of academic researchers who are investigating the lives and needs of older LGBT people, in addition to recent legal and policy changes that have sought to promote equality, there remain some issues that have not been addressed adequately. This seminar series will bring together academics, policy makers, service providers and older LGBT activists and community members to debate major gaps that exist in knowledge and practice and to formulate ways to address them. Based on a thorough review of existing studies and through work with academics, policy makers, service providers and older LGBT people six one-day seminars are planned to cover areas where knowledge is currently lacking: older bisexual people's lives; older trans people's experiences; race, ethnicity and religion in older LGBT people's lives; economics, resources and social networks; intergenerational issues; and health and social care. Each seminar will commence with two guest speakers, followed by a question and answer session. Subsequently, a workshop will take place during which delegates will be asked to formulate two 'points of action', things that they could do in a professional or personal capacity that would bridge a current gap in knowledge and ultimately benefit older LGBT people. A final showcase conference at the end of the seminar series will allow delegates to review progress on their 'points of action', to consider challenges and successes and to think about what steps need to be taken next. Overall, the seminar series is concerned to empower individuals from diverse backgrounds, to fill in gaps in existing knowledge.