The challenges of growing older for LGBTQ people are many and tremendous. My expedition through aging is shaped by a strident, multidimensional, and, at times, perplexing identity: Black lesbian medical anthropologist activist pastor. This journey has become at once daunting and delightful, challenging and comforting. It is overwhelming and pleasant to have simply lived more than 7 decades.
Growing up, it seemed normal to imagine aging as mirroring the experiences of my parents and grandparents. I expected my hair to turn gray and my eyesight to diminish. My body would become less flexible, my hearing would weaken, and life would be a constant dance of avoiding or surviving the many chronic illnesses hiding in the shadows.
For some reason, it never occurred to me that sexuality could be a significant factor for a woman of a certain age. For some reason, I believed there was a point at which life leveled off, and breathing was all that mattered. Part of me somehow expected to outgrow my gay self and just be my old self. Imagine my surprise to learn that aging was just one more coming-out adventure, yet another journey through the pathways of oppression I had navigated in my life since birth.
There is a growing body of data on how sexuality and sexual identity obscure aging and shape public understanding and empathy. As a scholar, I wanted—no, needed—to trust the data; I wanted to live with hope and proudly march toward transformation and health. How could life be otherwise? Everyone likes old people, and, at least in theory, everyone wants the best for individuals who remind them of their grandparents. […]
Click here to read the full piece. This story was originally published by Generations Today on October 18, 2023.
