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Invisible Men: Canada's Aging Homosexuals. Can They be Assimilated into Canada's “Liberated” Gay Communities?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

John Alan Lee
John Alan Lee
Affiliation:
Scarborough College, University of Toronto
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Abstract

This article outlines the results of two studies 1) a qualitative study of two groups of elderly homosexuals; 2) a four-year study of the life of 54 male homosexuals, aged between 50 and 80. The data offers an explanation for the fact that liberated gay communities are not seemingly willing to make room for the elderly homosexual. The explanation suggests: there is a significant cultural difference between young and old, particularly where privacy (“intimacy”) is concerned.

Ré;sumé

Cet article présente les conclusions de deux études: la première résultait d'une observation participative de groupes d'homosexuels gés mles et femelles; la deuxième est une étude longitudinale de 54 homosexuels mles, gés de 50 à 80 ans. Les données fournissent des explications sur les difficultés rencontrées par les homosexuels gés pour former des associations communautaires de “gais libérés.” L'explication proposée suggère des différences basées sur les “générations culturelles,” gées et jeunes, différences qui portent principalement sur différentes perceptions de la vie sexuelle privée.

Keywords

Canadaaginghomosexualgay liberationprivacygenerations.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , Spring/printemps 1989 , pp. 79 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1989

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