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 witj local 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 can signal 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 be considered.
Creating an environment that is welcoming and encouraging of older gay and
lesbian people to participate in consultative 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 views will 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. Many have 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, a lifetime 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 people need 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 can signal 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 can actively seek invovlement of older gay and lesbian people in the
planning of services but need to accept that they may not be successful in
gaining the trust of local individuals if positive 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 to be 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 can also 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 familiar with
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
http://www.glhv.org.au/files/health_action_plan.pdf
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 could include a rationale for
addressing gay and lesbian issues and professional and legal responsibilities
to do so. It could cover 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 www.also.org.au
The Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria information clearinghouse on
www.glhv.org.au
Anne Mitchell, Director of Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, (03) 9285 5124 or
[email protected] for enquiries about staff training
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria (03) 9654 4443
http://www.cotavic.org.au/
Municipal Association of Victoria Positive Ageing Project
[email protected]