Aging
Queer aging and queer eldership should be honored, supported and affirmed.
Aging is a time of a lot of contradictions. People often feel more liberated and empowered internally - knowing themselves deeply, processing their lives and experiences, and finding meaning and identity in who they are as an elder. It can be a time of exploring gender and sexuality, processing a lifetime of beauty and connection, finding and settling in with chosen family, as well as processing pain, trauma and loss from living through the AIDS epidemic, loss of connection with family of origin due to homophobia and/or transphobia, and systemic oppression. Aging often comes with the development of disabilities or chronic conditions, losses of social support, an increased need to give and/or receive care, and financial insecurity. These have significant implications for LGBTQ older adults because as folks age they often have to deal with increased institutional ageism, racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia.
We can help you process these changes and contradictions through life review, development of coping strategies that work for you, identification of values and meaning making, unlearning harmful internalized messages, and tools to help navigate the complicated systems you're interacting with.
