Reflecting on Life Then and Now: Interviews on the Life Courses of Older Lesbian Women and Gay Men in Australia Waling, A, Lyons, A, Alba, Beatrice, Minichiello, V, Barrett, C, Hughes, M, Fredriksen-Goldsen, K, Edmonds, S and Savage, T 2021, Reflecting on Life Then and Now: Interviews on the Life Courses of Older Lesbian Women and Gay Men in Australia, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, doi: 10.1007/s13178-021-00653-z. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Reflecting on Life Then and Now: Interviews on the Life Courses of Older Lesbian Women and Gay Men in Australia Author(s) Waling, A Lyons, A Alba, Beatrice orcid.org/0000-0002-2247-2119 Minichiello, V Barrett, C Hughes, M Fredriksen-Goldsen, K Edmonds, S Savage, T Journal name Sexuality Research and Social Policy Publisher p Publication date 2021-01-01 ISSN 1868-9884 1553-6610 Keyword(s) Social Sciences Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences - Other Topics Ageing Lesbian Gay Sexuality Older Resilience Discrimination Health TRANSGENDER SERVICES PEOPLE CARE EXPERIENCES FUTURE ISSUES NEEDS AGE Summary Introduction: In Australia, there is a unique cohort of older (aged 60 and over) lesbian women and gay men who reached adolescence from as early as the 1940s up until the 1970s. Many have witnessed numerous social changes regarding the acceptance of lesbian and gay people in general society. Given the uniqueness of this cohort, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the histories of this group and how they perceive their lives today. Methods: This paper utilises the Iridescent Life-Course Perspective as a framework and draws on semi-structured interviews from 33 lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older residing in Australia to explore their reflections and perspectives on their lives from their younger years to today. Results: Participants recounted challenging coming out processes, relationship breakdowns, significant loss due to the HIV/AIDs epidemic, and experiences of discrimination. Despite this, participants on-the-whole expressed gratitude for the opportunity to age where they could reflect on their lives, as well as greater confidence and self-esteem. Conclusions: While older lesbian women and gay men experienced severe discrimination in their lives, they also demonstrated a degree of resilience, with many referring to gratitude and contentment in their lives. Policy Implications: Knowing the challenges as well as aspects of resilience is important for understanding how older lesbian and gay adults are experiencing life today. This is particularly important for policymakers and service providers in designing support programs that address challenges, build on strengths and seek to be fully inclusive and respectful of the diversity of the past and current life experiences of this population. DOI 10.1007/s13178-021-00653-z Indigenous content off Field of Research 1117 Public Health and Health Services 1303 Specialist Studies in Education 1605 Policy and Administration Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30164284 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Psychology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Tue, 15 Mar 2022, 10:04:59 EST Tue, 15 Mar 2022, 14:31:32 EST Wed, 06 Apr 2022, 08:57:42 EST Thu, 21 Apr 2022, 11:04:06 EST Thu, 21 Apr 2022, 14:25:06 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 0 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 6 Abstract Views, 0 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Tue, 15 Mar 2022, 10:04:59 EST