POSITIVE AGEING
OLDER GAY MEN AND LESBIANS
Policy Suggestions for Local Government
Purpose
This document has been prepared by Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria, Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), the ALSO Foundation, and Gay & Lesbian Health Vic (GLHV) in order to assist local government in planning for Positive Ageing in local communities. When engaging witjlocal communities and stakeholders it is unlikely that older gay and lesbian people will come forward to participate. The suggestions in this document are intended to provide ways in which local government services cansignal that they are inclusive and welcoming of older gay men and lesbians.
Councils in Victoria are working toward the development of ‘age friendly’ communities that create opportunities for senior Victorians to live active and fulfilling lives now and in the future. Many councils are actively engaged in planning for Positive Ageing. When undertaking this planning, it is important that the specific needs of older gay and lesbian people beconsidered. Creating an environment that is welcoming and encouraging of older gay and lesbian people to participate inconsultative processes is important if their needs are to be considered. Many older gay men and lesbians have almost surely experienced stigma and marginalisation at some time in their past and may still feel uncertain about how their needs and viewswill be received in the planning for aged and community services. Suggestions are made within this document about how this issue may be better addressed by local government.
Older gay and lesbian people
Many of the older gay and lesbian people in our community grew up pre gay liberation. Manyhave been vilified as ‘sinners’ by the church and as “sick” and “deviant” by medical authorities. They have been seen as ‘criminals’ by the law and some men may have been arrested and charged for offences related to homosexuality in the past, leading to shameful exposure and family rejection. Members of this generational group are generally less likely to have “come out” publicly and may not identify with labels such as lesbian or gay.
Often, alifetime experience of oppression and needing to pretend to be heterosexual for their own security has meant many older gay and lesbian people do not feel safe disclosing their sexual identity to service providers when they need to access services. This means that while approximately 10% of local populations may be non-heterosexual, they may prefer to remain invisible and “under the radar” losing the opportunity to have their needs articulated and met. As gay and lesbian people frequently move from rural areas to cities seeking more support services and social opportunities, this figure may be even smaller in some rural communities. This can mean a greater sense of isolation .
Community Care Services
Some gay and lesbian peopleneed to access community care services because of their deteriorating health (including HIV), Some gay and lesbian people also have the added difficulty of the lack of a partner or an informal care network and have had to develop elaborate strategies to manage their privacy. . This may involve hiding personal material, such as photographs and cards, in their homes before service providers visit. It may mean a refusal to talk about their past or about family connections, or even about what they did at the weekend. Others may be more “out” and confident but are still quite likely to have low expectations of accessing positive support through local councils, fearing that council workers will not be well-informed or trained to meet their needs. Despite the invisibility of non-heterosexual people in the community, councils which provide seniors in their community with a range of social and support services need to be aware that these services should extend equally to all. Councils will be bound to meet this requirement in the implementation of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights.
A welcoming and inclusive community
The uncertainty felt by older gay and lesbian residents in the community may extend to concern about whether or not their local council welcomes them and is ready to address their issues. Councils cansignal their inclusiveness by explicitly stating in all council policies and promotional material that gay and lesbian people are included and valued as part of the community. Positive images of same sex couples in promotional material can also support this process.
Councils canactively seek invovlement of older gay and lesbian people in theplanning of services but need to accept that they may not be successful in gaining the trust of local individuals ifpositive changes in the local community have not come about.
All planning processes which are undertaken to meet the needs of older people should explicitly show a commitment to develop and implement inclusiveness.
Sport, recreation and cultural events
Gay and lesbian people need tobe actively encouraged to participate in all recreational and cultural programs for older residents and be assured that they can do so without fear of discrimination and rejection. This could come about by actively publicising non-discriminatory council policies and engaging in public education activities which increase awareness of the legitimacy of gay and lesbian citizens. The celebration of diversity within the local community canalso celebrate the value added to a community by its gay and lesbian members. A specific celebration of local gay culture may be an excellent way to start this process.
Gay and lesbian people may also prefer to participate in groups and activities which are specifically for them. Both options need to be canvassed with residents if consultation is possible, or specific programs offered as pilots to assess local interest. Libraries have a particular role to play in acquiring resources of interest to gay and lesbian borrowers and which depict gay and lesbian culture in a positive way.
Health promotion
Gay and lesbian people experience health issues which differ from their heterosexual peers and health promotion workers need to be familiarwith these differences in order to provide health promotion information and services which are inclusive and relevant. These issues can be specifically included in Municipal Public Health Plans. The Victorian Ministerial Advisory Committee on Gay and Lesbian Health has a strategy which argues that sexuality should be seen as a social determinant of health and outlines relevant areas for action. See
Safer communities
Safety is a key issue for all older people but may be more critical for older gay and lesbian people because of their experience of homophobic violence in the past and because there is still a significantly high level of homophobic violence in many communities. Councils may need to identify the needs of lesbian and gay people within Community Safety Plans, particularly if there are known or recognisable places within the community where gay and lesbian people regularly meet. A two-fold approach may be required. First is to promote cultural change in the community as a whole to make it more inclusive and supportive, and secondly raising awareness of the immediate safety of gay and lesbian older people in the community through the adoption of crime reduction and prevention measures
Staff training and diversity
It is important that interaction with council employees by gay and lesbian people is a positive one. Staff training may need to be provided for those in a customer service or service delivery role to familiarise them with issues and develop an inclusive approach. Such training couldinclude a rationale for addressing gay and lesbian issues andprofessional and legal responsibilities to do so. It couldcover aspects of cultural sensitivity such as appropriate use of language and practice at handling challenging situations. The importance of confidentiality and appropriate record keeping can also be part of such training.
A staffing profile which includes gay and lesbian workers will send a clear message to the community that the council values and nurtures diversity. Gay and lesbian staff members are far more likely to be open and visible if workplace policies, practices and cultures are also inclusive and supportive of gay and lesbian workers.
Useful resources
The ALSO Directory produced every year as a guide to gay and lesbian services in Victoria and also available on
The Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria information clearinghouse on
Anne Mitchell, Director of Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, (03) 9285 5124 or for enquiries about staff training
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria(03) 9654 4443
Municipal Association of Victoria Positive Ageing Project