INTER

SECTION

Inter~Section Melbourne

PART 3a

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Reports on gay, lesbian, transgender seminars, forums, consultations on ageing, in Newcastle on 16 and 17 July 2004, and Sydney 21 July 2004

Rainbow Visions Hunter, a community group working to enhance the health, well-being and social lives of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, intersex or queer (LGBTIQ), held a forum to discuss issues associated with ageing on Saturday, 17 July in Newcastle.

The forum was supported by the Department of Ageing, Disability & Home Care.

Forty people attended the event Subjects discussed included superannuation, partnership rights, legal and financial issues, accommodation options, what growing older means to individuals and positive ageing.

The forum was opened by Mannie De Saxe and Kendall Lovett (from the Melbourne based group InterSection), two wonderful, out" older gay men who work tirelessly to raise awareness of LGBTIQ issues and to fight discrimination.

Another presenter gave a very personal account of her experiences with the health and aged care sector following a series of strokes suffered by her life partner. She had been lucky to find an aged care establishment that was non-homophobic, but not before trying many that appeared to have no policies or procedures for dealing with minority groups.

Whilst it was agreed that some issues of concern were common to the majority of older people, there were others that were specific to the LGBTIQ community For example, superannuation remains an issue, with people concerned about whether funds allow same- sex partners to be named as beneficiaries Finding gay-friendly doctors, lawyers and aged care providers is also perceived as a problem.

Changing body image and ageism in the gay male community was identified as a real issue for many older men, as was isolation and alienation, although these issues seemed to be less pronounced with older lesbians. Invisibility remains an issue, as there are few older LGBTIQ role models either on television or with a high profile in the community.

People at the forum also mentioned that application forms, legal documents and attitudes towards interpersonal relationships in the "straight" world are usually predicated on a hetero- normative model Service providers say that the reason they do not ask people about their sexuality is that it is none of their business' On the surface this appears to be the "right" answer, however it also means that people are presumed to be heterosexual and have to out' themselves constantly, especially if their partner is not of the opposite sex..

Rainbow Visions will continue to raise awareness of ageing issues. For example, we are submitting the outcomes of our forum to the NSW Forum on Ageing, which will be held at Parliament House in Sydney on Tuesday, 28 September this year We are continuing to improve service provision for our communities via a web-based Rainbow Friendly Directory' that lists businesses and services which welcome LGBTIQ people and we are planning a theatrical event which dramatises some real life experiences of older LGBTIQ people for the Rainbow Festival in October 2005 in Newcastle.

Issue No.1: Superannuation:

Issue No.2.: Help increase awareness

Issue No.3.: Partnership rights for lesbians, gay men and transgender people

Issue No.4.: Discrimination and injustice.

Issue No5.: GLBT1Q residential accommodation

Issue No.6.: Volunteer based home care services + Ankali-like for older people As Co-ordination point

Issue No.7.: Retirement Village Gay Couples (N/H Hostel)

Issue No.8.: Determine what and who are decision-makers and policy makers.

Issue No.9.: Advocacy By RV & other networks

Issue No.10.: Recognition as a target group - (special needs")

Issue No.11.: No role models who are older people e.g. Justice Michael Kirkby Promoting role models

Issue No.12.: Looking up to older men for their knowledge and wisdom (not attractive!)

Issue No.13.: Men not good at networking an organizing the community

Issue No.14.: Social community network

Issue No.15. Own groups or more inclusive existing groups

Issue No.16. Meeting place for mature persons

Issue No.17.1 Build networks wrth other groups/organisations

Issue No.18. Isolation and alienation

Issue No.19. Attempt to identify people living alone and even in the case of couples

Issue No.20. No options for GLBTTQs (accommodation owned and operated)

Issue No.21. How do you find gay- friend ly health services in regional and rural areas (Specifically a doctor's name}?

Issue No.22. How do you find gay friendly lawyers in regional and rural areas?

Issue No.23 Acknowledge the skills and expertise in this room

Issue No.24. People living with HIV/AIDS, people from ethnic groups, Indigenous people

Issue No.25. Ageing as a GLBT political issue

Issue No.26. Funding for regional activities

Issue No.27. Getting information in and out

Issue No.28. Awareness of vs. (Knowledge is power)

Issue No.29. How to make a personal contnbution to gay, ageing family?

18 July 2004

REPORT FROM GUYS AROUND GOSFORD:

Hi Mannie - Just in case you might be interested in the account I wrote for Guys Around Gosford of the forum. It was nice meeting you briefly during the lunch forays.

Cheers, Rove (rovi96@hotmail.com) I'm sending this from my 'official' email account but rarely check it, hence my hotmail account in case you wish to correct something.

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GAGgers at Ageing Forum, Newcastle.

Rainbow Visions Hunter hosted an Ageing Forum at the Alice Ferguson Centre at Merewether, Newcastle yesterday between 10am and 3pm. The chief sponsor of the forum was the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care. Between about 40 and 50 people were involved which was perfect for the size of the Centre.

I know no-one is going to believe me when I say that the guys that went up to the forum had a blast. It was the whole thing: driving up, the expectations in contrast to the reality, the structure of the forum which sometimes brought out the school kid in us, the socializing with interesting new people, the genuinely interesting topics we learned about, the participation, the lunch and other breaks, and then the process of going home (via G’s). It was all good. It makes all the difference when you are attending a forum or any function if you are with people you know and like. The GAGgers were represented by Barry, Col, Quarterly Jeff, Kevin, Rod and myself.

We met up at Jeb’s at Ourimbah, in 7 degree temperature, and took off from there in Rod’s roomy state-of-the-art car. The great wonder was the satellite navigation system that showed you via a little screen exactly where you were. You have to program in your destination and you can activate a voice that tells you what to do at round-abouts and into which street to turn next. They must have hired that British guy who used to read out the time on the telephone - you know, ‘beep beep beep At the third stroke it will be 8.30… and twenty seconds… beep beep beep ….’. So Kevin and I were imitating the guy’s instructions (and twisting the words a bit) for our amusement. Meanwhile, all the way, Rod was playing a tape or CD of honky-tonk piano music, hits of the 1920s. We thought that very appropriate. We arrived in good time, Rod and Kevin already looking forward to a drink after the seminar.

Met up with Col and Barry inside and then set up our very own Central Coast table. We were delighted to meet Greg Milan and his partner Richard for the first time in the flesh. We were going to introduce Kevin as Peter BV to tease Greg but Kevin wouldn’t co-operate. The fresh home-made scones with cream and jam, the lamingtons, and other cakes were served with tea or coffee - some of our guys (Jeff) went in for third helpings. Meanwhile we registered, had our name tags put on and a lady called Libby gave us folders with paper, pen, agenda and pamphlets. We were joined by Charles Ho, a researcher known to some of the members back on the Coast.

So for the guys who would like to have gone to the seminar, a very truncated, and highly subjective summary of the topics covered.

1. We were welcomed by the most gracious Jennifer Thurgate, co- convener of Rainbow Visions and Regional Manager, Disability Services Programme, Newcastle. Told us about the social and health work Rainbow Visions is involved in. Check the website for the extensive gay coverage of Newcastle and the Hunter: http://www.rainbowvisions.org.au/index.htm

2. Mannie De Saxe and Kendall Lovett from Inter~Section, Melbourne, gay political activists in sexual minority issues, particularly ageing. The talk could be boiled down to the words; No-body loves you when you’re old and grey… but we must do something about that and be seen. There were differences in aged health care - the needs and circumstances of gays have not been addressed. See their website:

InterSection Melbourne - Part 3

3. Gerard McNamara of Braye Cragg Solicitors spoke of the importance of giving you and your partner as firm a legal footing as possible otherwise shared assets can be denied if one or the other dies. Without a will a judge would be more inclined to pass on assets to kin than someone claiming to be a lover or partner. Legal means to establish partner status could shave thousands and thousands off an estate on legal fees. So, (1) draw up a Will (2) obtain ENDURING Power Of Attorney (deals with financial aspects), and (3) obtain Guardianship papers (deals with non-financial aspects such as consent to medical etc., treatment of your partner). There was a lot of audience response to all this. Gerard said these documents were cheap considering the alternative possibilities of not having them - say around $200 for a proper Will and around $400 each for Power Of Attorney and Guardianship documents. 4. We thought the presentation by the Newcastle Permanent Building Society was going to be boring - you know, the usual sell - but so many people had questions and comments that they had to leave big sections out of their talk. Like, it turned out from the questions that legislation still doesn’t protect your fund if you die early and you had wanted it to benefit your same sex partner. This one woman in the audience just kept on talking - there’s one in every seminar. Kevin rasped, ‘knock her off her soapbox would you’. It later turned out that she was a leading researcher in the field of gerontology and rights.

I thought Kevin and I were going to get the giggles when they showed us a chart about how much money you should put in per annum so that you’d receive $100,000 per annum on retirement. For example, you have to put in $17,000 every year if you start at 40, and $106,000 per year if you start at 55. That is such a hoot because that has to be the chart that you show to people when they are in their teens and 20s to scare them into contributing to a fund - not an audience with an average age of 60.

5. Margaret Turner from the Aged Care Assessment Team spoke about aged care accommodation options. This is a Commonwealth service. The inside wisdom is that the Government saves multi-thousands every year per person by keeping aged people in their own homes rather than residential or nursing home accommodation. Clients are divided into two categories: (1) high care - people who need care potentially 24 hours per day - nursing home; and (2) low care - people who can mostly look after themselves - with some outside assistance.

The bad news is that Home Care in the Newcastle district is difficult to get due to inadequate funding. Some clients have to wait up to a year. The good news is that priority is given to urgent need cases. Aged care facilities are basically commercial undertakings (surprise, surprise) but I didn’t know that aged care facilities had to reserve 20% of their accommodation/residences for those that couldn’t afford to buy in. I’d like to hear more about that.

6. Sandy MacDonald gave a very heart rending talk titled, ‘Finding a pathway through the maze of bureaucracy’ based on her and her partner who became extremely ill. This emphasized the lack of recognition given by medical and aged care institutions to the needs of same sex partners: it also emphasized the need to having forms of legal documents that establishes the relationship, like mutual Power Of Attorney and Guardianship.

7. Greg Millan gave a very interesting and comprehensive talk with the title, ‘Changing Lives’, addressing particularly the special challenges guys face. One point was that ‘mid life crisis’ should be viewed as ‘mid life change’. Some very amusing criteria listed on how you first realized that you were getting old - like loss of hair... and then getting hair in places you never anticipated! Importantly, he debunked the pervading stereotype that you can’t have a relationship after you turn 40 or 50. I was amused by Greg’s First and Second Coming outs despite the serious message behind the terms. The Second Coming out is actually one when you have to face bureaucracy when your partner may suddenly get very ill or passes away and you’re faced with having to validate your relationship to bureaucrats or medical practitioners. The bulk of the talk was to convincingly dispel the negative myths about ageing.

8. Jennifer Thurgate on ‘Growing older, growing wiser’ began by noting that many of the practical problems that men face when they get older are the same that women face. For example, loss of independence and difficulty in finding suitable housing.

What I found incredibly interesting is basically what most of us instinctively know anyway, and that’s that Lesbians and women in general are less likely to be traumatized by old age because: they are used to low economic status (whoever thought that could be a blessing in the long run?); they are less worried about the ‘sagging bits’ as they get older; they are more likely to be in a relationship; they are less likely to be subject to ageism by other women because they have a much more positive view of older women; they are not so hung up about sex; and so on. The latter one brought up the inevitable joke about ‘Lesbian bed death syndrome’ but even in such a case (and men get there too) women tend to be more into hugs and being affectionate. Anyway I’m in deep shit if I got all that wrong (I know, stereotypes, stereotypes) but what I took away from that was, why then can’t we be more like Lesbians and enjoy what we have, not be hung up on what we don’t have. The positives of old age were also that you can be exactly who you really are (like who gives a stuff if someone doesn’t think you as ‘nice’ if you be and do as you like?). More time to do the simple stuff you really want to do, the simple pleasures of life.

I was really amused at the end of Jennifer’s talk where she basically concluded that when you get old why not do exactly what you want to do, eat, drink and smoke if you want to and die happy… if not slightly prematurely, in other words, ‘Grow old disgracefully’. I was watching Greg Millan’s face closely when Jennifer got to that part. The difference is that Men tend to do all those bad things from the age of 13 onward…..

9 Panel session of speakers (1-8). The seminar participants were able to fire questions at the speakers. One of the most important aspects raised was that in aged care there has never been any provision at all regarding sexuality. Because many of the older generation have been conditioned to hide their sexuality and so they remain silent; but if not, they have no way of knowing how to deal with, for example, being parted from their partner/lover when it comes to aged care/ accommodation. So Government and services ignore their needs. The reality of same-sex partners is never raised when aged care is discussed at official levels.

The seminar concluded that Gay/Lesbian (sexuality) issues should be addressed by any government or private organization in the future or we will continue to be ignored.

10. Libby and Ivan (facilitators). The fun part of the seminar was when we were formed into discussion groups. Each table had to come up with a number of issues (‘we’ve got issthuesth’). We were pretty animated while trying scrawl out some statements on these huge sheets of paper. Kevin was scribe. All the women tables had very neatly organized sheets with clearly printed words… ours was all over the place, you know, being Central Coast blokes. Then shock-horror, each table had to nominate a speaker. Kevin telling me it had to be me and me saying he should do it. Anyway, the first speakers were Mannie and Kendall, then Jennifer, then a very eloquent lady from the table next to ours. The presentations were stimulating and flawless. Kevin turned to me a couple of times and said, ‘We’re stuffed’.

So I was thrust out to the front with the big sheets of paper to give a talk. I addressed the group on how guys should promote some role models to look up to such as Justice Kirby. But more importantly to promote awareness that guys generally do not look up to the older guys in the gay community whereas women do place value on the old women of their community. How do you promote that?, is that possible?, and why don’t guys naturally value the old gay guys?

As Greg put it later, I ‘shamelessly’ promoted Guys_Around_Gosford in that we do genuinely value the older guys in the group and that there is very little evidence of ageism in the group…. and perhaps that is a model that could be duplicated elsewhere. Other issues raised were accommodation, perhaps communal residences for us as we get older and the forms that might take. I told them about the discussions we’ve had on and off the Yahoo group site. I could tell from the faces in the audience that my talk was well received. I should also add that us Coasties were made to feel very, very welcome throughout the whole seminar.

OMG - did I mention the catering? Several of the ladies brought lamingtons (with cream centres), scones with jam and cream, chocolate cakes etc., to have with our tea and coffee. We had a hot catered lunch - rich vegetable soup, French bread, an assortment of pies, salads, dips and Greek flat bread, fried ? balls, Japanese style sliced whatevers etc., etc - it was all totally yum. Several of commented how much we’d have to pay to enjoy such a lunch at a restaurant.

Us Coastie guys drove off to G’s for a couple of beers and were joined by Greg and Richard soon after arrival. Rod and I had a tricky game of pool - I was thrashed. Great fun conversations - and super to get to know Greg and Richard in person. Greg said he was amazed when I gave my talk that the Lesbians didn’t have a go at me for calling them ‘Ladies’. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was so…..

We had such a great and stimulating time. We’ll definitely be going to ‘Changing Lives’, a one day workshop program dealing with issues around growing older for gay men in September or October. Greg will advise us of details when they become known.

Thanks for your fun company guys and thanks Rod for the drive there and back.

Sorry for the rawness of this account or if I got something wrong.

Love yz,

Rovie

18 July 2004.

KENDALL LOVETT'S REPORT ON THE RAINBOW VISIONS HUNTER COMMUNITY FORUM ON AGEING ON 17 JULY 2004:

Morning session

Relevance of sessions on a scale of 1 to 5 (not relevant to very relevant): 4

Presentation methods on a scale of 1 to 5 (not very good to excellent): 3

The legal issues raised were of interest, particulalry being clear in a Will exactly what you want done. And, making your Will current.

The financila planning and Super speakers simply did not understand who the audience were and did not tailor their message for us. Thank goodness for the questioners.

Accommodation options and the bureaucratic maze provided considerable worry. Little emphasis on how such services could be improved for ageing gays/lesbians.

Healthy ageing-----all very well to keep fit but more emphasis on finding openly gay doctors because in your 60s things go wrong in your joints/digestive tracts/heart and lungs/ so you need an understanding medical practitioner.

I would like to have heard more about what actions older lesbians and gay men ought to take for themselves. Should we write letters to service providers and declare ourselves or is that too frightening still after 30 years of gay struggle?

Also, consideration of the idea of fewer speakers and more time for smaller group discussions (about 7 or 8 people) to enable people to talk about their experiences with service providers and ways of meeting discrimination. Often there is insufficient time for the recorder to list outcomes.

Afternoon session

Relevance on a scale of 1 to 5 (not relevant to very relevant): 3

Opportunity to contribute on a scale of 1 to 5 (not very good to excellent): 3

The group discussions could have been more productive. The actual time of table discussion was much shorter than the programme indicated because it included the time taken by each table's recorder to present the findings. Consequently, the less outgoing people often don't participate and there's no time to encourage them to open up with their ideas. The issues discussed at the table, therefore, may have been of more value if everyone could have thought them through instead of being beaten by the clock.

Leaving aside the issues, I have to say that I found it extremely difficult in the morning session and some of the afternoon session to hear the comments and questions raised by the audience and a lot of what some of the speakers said who did not use the microphone. I think it should be mandatory for all speakers in all halls, even relatively small halls, to use the microphone when it is provided by organisers. Would it have been possible to pass around the microphone, provided for the speakers, to members of the audience who asked questions or offered alternative views? Being able to hear what they said would have added value for me. When people speak very quickly in a crowded hall older people and even younger ones find it impossible to understand what they are saying when they are the length of a house from you!

1)

A follow-up on Ageing Issues for Lesbians, Gays and Trannies with emphasis on what to do when you're no longer welcome at the next bg party event even though you still think you look young enough!!! Don't wait until someone offers you their seat.

2)

Should gays and lesbians be political and take an interest in who is elected in the local, state and federal government seats? Can their votes make a difference in the scheme of things?

MANNIE DE SAXE'S REPORT ON THE RAINBOW VISIONS HUNTER COMMUNITY FORUM ON AGEING ON 17 JULY 2004

COMMUNITY FORUM ON AGEING

EVALUATION FORM

Morning Sessions 10.15.am - 12.45pm

Please circle one rating each for each aspect of each morning session.

Relevance of        Not relevant                                                        Very relevant

Presentation          Not very good                                                 Excellent

methods              1                    2                      3                      4                      5

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Overview session

Relevance                                5

Presentation                                5

Session on legal issues

Relevance                                5

Presentation                                5

Session on financial issues

Relevance        1                        

Presentation            1

Session on accommodation

Relevance                                    5

Presentation                        3

Session on healthy ageing

Relevance                                                5

Presentation                                    4

Issues discussed that were of value to you:

How to actively promote GLTH (HIV/AIDS) ageing issues in communities unwilling to acknowledge that ageing is an issue.

Legal issues relating to wills and powers of attorney

Accommodation issues - need to address religious exemptions in Anti-Discrimination Act relating to hostels and nursing homes and other private institutions run by religious organisations.

What other information would you have liked to hear about?

Discrimination by federal and state governments still enshrined in legislation against gay, lesbian and transgender people.

Afternoon Small Group Discussions 1.15pm - 3.00pm

Relevance of             Not relevant                                                 Very Relevant

discussions to you            1              2              3             4              5

Opportunity to

contribute to the            Not very good                                                 Excellent

discussions             1                         2                          3                         4                          5

Issues discussed that were of value to you:

Role models - Justice Michael Kirby is not the only one!

Guys Around Gosford - a visible vocal group present - where were all the other groups - gay, lesbian, transgender, media - gay and lesbian; more forums, include HIV/AIDS and indigenous groups.

Health, accommodation, legal - most important of issues.

Volunterer based home care; advocacy;networking.

Make private issues more public in every way possible; links by web or other means to other organisations, gay friendly lawyers and doctors and other advisors.

What topics would you like for future Rainbow Visions forums?

On-going homophobia and discrimination in legislation

Ageing as a political issue

Rural and regional areas - educational methods to attack homophobia - mostly religion based.

At future forums an insistence that people use the PA system so that hearing-impaired people in the audience are able to hear

21 July 2004

REPORT on the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Consultation of the NSW ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BOARD (ADB)

Held at the Board’s Offices, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, on Wednesday, 21 July 2004. from 5.30pm until 7.00pm.

The current ADB president (Stepan Kerkyasharian) chaired the meeting, Lesley Ashwood (ADB Consultation Secretary) conducted the agenda supported by ADB staffer Simon Barton. Attendance was pathetic for a discussion on issues of gay and lesbian ageing. There were seven of us –a 79 year old woman, a gay man in his 60s, three others in their 50s, Mannie and me, 77 and 81 respectively. We were visitors from Melbourne although when we lived in NSW we had attended these consultations, one of us when the Consultations began in 1981-2.

We noted the absence of any representatives from the gay and lesbian media. Neither radio nor print considered the topic important enough to send a reporter. Sylvia from LOTL had offered to get info on aged care institutions but hadn't yet responded.

The smallness of the number was raised and Lesley suggested that perhaps the topic of the night, Age Discrimination and Aged Care, didn’t appeal to younger people. Most of them were currently taken up preparing for a demonstration against the Federal Government’s amendments to the Marriage Act and a ban on gay marriages. She also made mention of the fact that where-as once upon a time the Gay ADB Consultation was the only one of its kind, there were now several including Transgender and Disability consultations. So, that may have reduced numbers.

We were asked to report on the previous weekend’s Rainbow Visions Hunter Forum in Newcastle about Ageing Issues for lesbians and gay men, which we did briefly. We mentioned that one of the commercial presentations at the Forum concerned choosing the right Superannuation fund. In questions from the audience, one lesbian told how angry she was at a letter she had received from the NSW State Super, which informed her that “new rules extend eligibility for a spouse pension to a spouse or defacto partner (not same sex partner).” She said she was devastated at seeing it spelt out in black and white that her lesbian relationship of umpteen years would not be recognised and her partner could not be a beneficiary of her super.

We said that she had agreed to let us bring the letter to the ADB meeting because we felt it was obvious discrimination. We handed up the letter to the president. It sparked considerable discussion. However, we were told that the State Super Fund by law operated under Federal legislation. The president, nevertheless, advised the meeting that the ADB would follow up the apparent discriminatory ruling with State Super. It was pointed out that the Prime Minister had said his government would consider allowing Super beneficiaries to include same sex partners provided his Marriage Act amendments were passed.

The issues marked on the agenda for discussion: ageing and coming out; issues being different for lesbians than those of gay men; sexuality not recognised in nursing homes; areas of discrimination –in home care, nursing homes, retirement villages, really did not get discussed. There was some discussion about funding for a study by the ADB on the issues but that was fairly inconclusive. There was also a suggestion that as the ADB was seeking topic ideas for the 2005 Forum on Mardi Gras Fair Day, perhaps Ageing Issues could be an ideal one. ADB Equal Time is to feature article on ageing issues.

--Kendall Lovett for LGS Melbourne

August 2004

The following article was written by Dr Jo Harrison for the ADB's Equal Time newsletter and published in the August 2004 issue, as Number 61, and appears on pages 1 and 3 of the issue:

Older gays and lesbians face a discriminatory environment when it comes to ageing and aged care services, according to gerontology researcher Dr Jo Harrison of the University of South Australia.

Dr Harrison says that the view of ageing as a negative, lonely experience is a serious barrier to overcoming discrimination on the basis of age in the gay and lesbian community. Connection to the gay community can contribute to a positive ageing experience, and many gay and lesbian people fear having to go to a nursing home in old age.

According to Harrison, aged care services operate within a dominant “heteronormative” framework in which heterosexual experience is seen as the central world view and the role of sexuality as a component of identity is not recognised.

Harrison says that heteronormative assumptions underpin many discussions of aged care practice, particularly when referring to relationships, family, household, taxation and superannuation. Terms like “never married”, “spouse carer” and “widowed” reflect the assumption that all elderly people are heterosexual.

This can lead to a situation where an older gay man or lesbian is reluctant to disclose their sexuality and it is therefore unlikely that their needs will be met to the fullest extent possible.

Harrison discusses a case in which a lesbian being admitted to a home felt unable to reveal that the “friend” accompanying her at admission was really her life partner. The partner was therefore not given the same visiting and decision-making rights as the woman’s children.

In fact, only a small percentage of the aged population ever requires nursing home care. But the fear of being “forced back into the closet” makes many gay and lesbian people reluctant to consider this as an option, and may influence their overall thinking about ageing.

A common viewpoint among health professionals is that a person’s sexuality is “private” and not relevant to their treatment. Harrison argues that this is a barrier to a full understanding of a client’s life experiences, and may also be a way of avoiding the need for change.

Harrison says that mass “outing” of elderly gay men and lesbians is not the answer, and they should not be required to overtly discuss their relationships. Gay men and lesbians who grew up prior to the advent of gay liberation may have lived their entire lives without revealing their sexuality and coming out may not be a feasible option for them.

This contrasts with mid-life gays and lesbians, who are more likely to have been through a “coming out” process and made choices about disclosure throughout their lives.

However, Harrison says the crucial thing is for aged care services to “avoid assumptions which limit opportunities for coming out, while respecting diversity around identity, life history and self-understandings”.

This includes understanding the choice not to identify as lesbian, gay, or even different. Overseas research has shown that many older lesbians, for example, do not apply this term to their own same-sex relationships or life arrangements.

There are ways that aged care services can communicate to older gay men and lesbians through language, practices and symbols that can reassure them that an environment is non-discriminatory.

For example, application forms and interviews could refer to “significant people” rather than “husband or wife”. Anecdotal evidence suggests that such subtle signals of openness have encouraged older gay clients to discuss issues and concerns that may otherwise have remained unaddressed.

Overt homophobia and abuse of gay and lesbian clients by nursing home staff are very important issues in the aged care context. Although there are no documented cases in formal complaints to government bodies, anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem certainly exists.

Harrison tells of one elderly man who had come out to the occupational therapist at a day centre after she asked whether he had a partner and what was their name. This enabled him to express some concerns that would otherwise have remained unaddressed.

However the Director of Nursing subsequently asked him to wear latex gloves while at the centre and threatened to refuse service to him if he did not comply. The occupational therapist managed to resolve the issue but it was a struggle and they had limited support from other staff.

Another elderly man was transferred from a retirement village to a psychiatric hospital because the management disapproved of his “younger male visitors”. There are other cases of nurses refusing to bathe a “suspected lesbian” and elderly people being threatened with outing if they complained about how they were being treated.

Transgender and intersex people are also particularly vulnerable to discrimination in aged care settings, to the point where they may avoid seeking assistance altogether. There is anecdotal evidence of denial of services, forcibly preventing cross-dressing and deliberate physical violence when people are revealed to be transgender.

Transgender people may also have medical issues related their original gender that emerge with ageing, such as osteoporosis or prostate cancer. These may not be addressed because they may be too intimidated to seek medical advice of any kind.

Harrison says that aged care workers must develop a better understanding of diversity around sexuality issues in order to provide quality service to future clients who have not led closeted lives and need non-judgemental care and support. There have not yet been significant advances in this area in Australia.

Education of service providers is very important, and overseas evidence suggests that initiatives based on empowerment, involving gay and lesbian professionals from related organisations and organising speakers bureaux of older educators, have been particularly successful.

A Code of Ethics was developed for the Australian aged care industry in 2001, but this did not outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.

Recent legislative changes have addressed some of these concerns, but do not necessarily cover the special situation of older people who have lived a long life of non-disclosure. Areas such as superannuation, wills, next of kin and power of attorney are still problematic in this regard.

There have been developments in the USA in relation to ageing and sexuality. These include the establishment of a National Association of Lesbian and Gay Gerontology, the American Society on Ageing’s Lesbian and Gay Ageing Issues Network, and some tertiary curricula that address gay and lesbian ageing issues. Some activist and support organisations are now also emerging in Australia.

An improvement in understanding of the needs of gay and lesbian clients of aged care services, leading to greater empowerment and self advocacy, may result in unexpected outcomes and new options for action not previously considered.

Inter~Section Part 1 - Introduction to Inter~Section

Inter~Section Part 2 - Information and Details

Inter~Section Part 3b - STUFF AGEISM! IT'S TIME TO GET ACTIVE

Inter~Section Part 3c - YOU DON'T HAVE TO ROLL UP YOUR BANNER WHEN YOU'RE SIXTY

Inter~Section Part 3d - ELDER ABUSE SUBMISSION

Inter~Section Part 3e - NOT ONLY AGEING, BUT GAY, LESBIAN, TRANSGENDER, PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS

Inter~Section Part 4 - Darebin Council and Sexual Minority Issues

Inter~Section Part 5 - Links to documents and sites relating to Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Ageing and other Sexual Minority and Local Government Issues

The following link takes you to Jo Harrison's Home Pages which have links to Gay and Lesbian Ageing Issues in Australia and around the world:

GAY AND LESBIAN HATE CRIMES - BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED READING LIST

LESBIAN & GAY SOLIDARITY PAGE

Mannie De Saxe also has a personal web site, which may be found by clicking on the link: RED JOS: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM

Mannie's blogs may be accessed by clicking on to the following links:

MannieBlog (from 1 August 2003 to 31 December 2005)

Activist Kicks Backs - Blognow archive re-housed - 2005-2009

RED JOS BLOGSPOT (from January 2009 onwards)

This page updated 19 MAY 2014 and again on 20 FEBRUARY 2016

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