Lesbians over 60 speak for themselves

With all its faults, this study, begun in 1983, is the first attempt to reach a nationwide representation of lesbian elders in order to gather information about their background, their relationship with their families of origin, and, for those married to men, with their husbands, children, and grandchildren. It explores their sexual behavior, both their physical and psychological health, and how aging has affected them. With the relatively meagre data available, it tries to make some comparison between lesbians and gay men over 60. All of this is just a beginning, an effort, it is hoped, that will encourage researchers to investigate further this hidden population that is another fascinating component of our diverse society. Through our research, we established that gay women of advanced age, as we have long surmised, are everywhere. Like their younger cohorts, they live in all regions of America, rural as well as urban. They come in all colors and are from all occupations: professional, business, clerical, trades, domestic work, and land management, to name a few. Many of them are now retired. Their formal education ranges from high school diplomas to doctorate degrees. A few are financially well off, while another few live below the poverty line. The rest enjoy reasonable comfort in their own homes, on modest incomes. In both political and religious affiliation, they tend to be liberal. Their sexual history runs the gamut from exclusively homosexual, through equally homosexual and heterosexual, to asexual. As they age and sex becomes a less significant part of their relationships, companionship grows more important. They prefer to associate with other lesbians within 10 years of their own age, whom they meet in community social groups, through friends, or at work--but not in bars. They do not relish the thought of ending their lives in any institution for the aged, but would consider a gay/lesbian intergenerational retirement community acceptable. Their most serious problems, even with the advantaged group surveyed, are those that affect many women of advanced age in our society: loneliness and economic worries. Although the feminization of poverty has been a topic under public scrutiny for some time, because it involves women of all ages, less attention has been paid to it in relation to the elderly. The equally disabling condition brought on by their isolation and loneliness has also been disregarded.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)