Financial Distress
Participants were asked to describe challenges facing older LGB adults, and financial distress was repeatedly named as an issue among both generations. Although poverty is common in late adulthood, it is potentially worsened by homophobic discrimination. Incidents of being denied a job and threats of being fired were faced by numerous participants. Betty (71, married, lesbian) described an incident of being denied a job at a reproductive care center, noting that HR informed her that meet pretty Kandy women looking for men her sexual identity was an impediment to effectively doing her job. She elaborated that HR blatantly stated that she is “going to have a really hard time finding a job in Kansas City,” due to her sexual orientation. Similarly, Fred (60, married, queer) reported that a supervisor informed him, “I’m sorry, but I [have to] let you all go … you’re too gay.” Homophobic discrimination also affected performance reviews, which has implications for promotion and salary. Dawn (73, married, lesbian) noted that homophobic bias shaped her performance review as a teacher. She revealed that her supervisor accused her of being too close to a female student, an incident she interpreted as laden with homophobic biases.
Participants’ narratives revealed that discrimination has long-term consequences on their lives, especially financial stability. Dave (80, single, gay man) noted:
.. They have not built IRAs or thought about it until we were in our late 40s … we know people that just are going by the skin of their teeth. They’re on food stamps, and their job never paid enough for them to accrue anything for retirement, and their social security certainly is not good.
Similarly, Joseph (83, married, gay man) revealed that, due to a lack of promotions and bonuses, “saving was not something they [gays, lesbians, and bisexuals] could do because they could hardly live just on what they were getting. So, they enter the area of a timeframe in their lives where they don’t have the finances. ” Others similarly shared that, due to a lack of stable and prosperous jobs, savings are limited. The effects of homophobic discrimination compounded, leading to further financial distress in late adulthood. Participants also later revealed that financial distress compromises their ability to pay for long-term care, a point I later revisit. Here, it becomes apparent that risks encountered earlier in life worsen well-being later in life, consistent with cumulative inequality theories (Ferraro & Shippee, 2009). These findings are also consistent with bourgeoning literature on economic stressors that emerge in late adulthood as a consequence of life-long exposure to inequality (Torres & Lacy, 2021). I return to this issue in greater depth in the discussion section.
Some variation in exposure to discrimination and subsequent financial distress was also documented among participants. Boomers were more likely than the silent generation to emphasize that discrimination in jobs and promotions over time led to financial distress, which may be due to higher rates of disclosing their identity as an LGB person. Surprisingly, married and partnered people were also twice as likely to report fears of financial distress than singles, despite the fact that they often possessed two sources of income. One possible explanation for this finding is that their partnership status rendered their sexual identity visible, making them more vulnerable to facing homophobic discrimination.
Anxieties Surrounding Paid Care Facilities
Participants were also asked to indicate who will care for them when they are no longer able to care for themselves. Not unlike heterosexual individuals, older sexual minorities reported negative attitudes toward paid care services (Bell & Menec, 2015). However, LGB people’s aversion to long-term care settings was differentially motivated, as they feared facing homophobic abuse and discrimination by staff and residents in these facilities. Thus, how older LGB people make sense of end-of-life care plans potentially differs. Patricia (64, married, lesbian) asked, “… How we would be treated by the staff …? You know, would we get comments? Would we get treated differently than the other people would? [Would] other members of the community treat us poorly?” Others echoed Patricia’s concerns about the possibility of unequal treatment. Mark (69, engaged, gay man) regularly asked himself, “What if I go into a nursing home and what if they’re homophobic? Do I go back into the closet?” Here, Mark’s concerns centered on fears that he will need to conceal his identity as a gay man, not unlike how he did in earlier pant. Being closeted also results in a loss in feelings of autonomy, a positive view of one’s identity, and freedom of sexual expression; accordingly, one jeopardizes their right to feel mentally and physically safe at the end of life if having to conceal one’s identity (Wilson et al., 2021). Thus, some participants could not fathom the possibility of yet again concealing their identities. Moreover, it is well documented that in minority stress research that identity concealment leads to greater psychological distress (Pachankis et al., 2020). Thus, being “closeted” in long-term care homes may serve as a unique minority stressor that exacerbates depression commonly experienced among older adults and the LGB community alike.