Bi ageing: What do we know and why should we care?

Dr Rebecca L. Jones Faculty of Health and Social Care The Open University [email protected]

Overview • What do we know about ageing and bisexuality? – That we can’t generalise from gay and lesbian ageing – The literature: 2 empirical studies + informed speculations

• Muriel: a case study • Why should we care? – Academic implications – Practical implications – Political implications

Definitions

How many bi older people? • Some recent general surveys: – Bi attraction: 13% women, 6% men? – Bi behaviour: 16% women, 10% men? – Bi identity: 3-5% bi, 1-3% L&G?

• Not many bi-identified people in groups for older LGBT people • Not many older people in organised bi communities. • Bi older people – a hard-to-reach group!

The distinctiveness of bisexuality • The Bisexuality Report • Things we don’t know yet about bi older people: – Rates of living alone – Experiences of health and social care services – Bereavement experiences – Family of choice – Intersectionality

Empirical studies • 56 San Francisco bi-identified people, aged 35-67 – WEINBERG, M. S., WILLIAMS, C. J. & PRYOR, D. W. (2001) Bisexuals at midlife: Commitment, salience and identity. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 30, 180-208.

• 33 BiCon 2010 attenders, aged 20-66 – JONES, R. L. (2012) Imagining the unimaginable: Bisexual roadmaps for ageing. IN WARD, R., RIVERS, I. & SUTHERLAND, M. (Eds.) Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ageing: Providing effective support through understanding life stories. London, Jessica Kingsley. – JONES, R. L. (2011) Imagining bisexual futures: Positive, nonnormative later life Journal of Bisexuality, 11, 245-270.

Informed speculations • DWORKIN, S. H. (2006) Aging bisexual: The invisible of the invisble minority. IN KIMMEL, D., ROSE, T. & DAVID, S. (Eds.) Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender aging: Research and clinical perspectives. New York, Columbia University Press. • FIRESTEIN, B. (Ed.) (2007) Becoming visible: Counseling bisexuals across the lifespan, New York, Columbia University Press. • KEPPEL, B. (2006) Affirmative psychotherapy with older bisexual women and men. Journal of Bisexuality, 6, 85104.

Muriel at 78 • ‘Crushes’ on older girls but then married, has 3 children • Divorced early-30s • late-30s, attends women’s consciousness-raising group. Meets Pat, a lesbian, starts relationship with her • Pat dies. Muriel supported by lesbian friends and a voluntary organisation for bereaved L&G people • Falls in love with a man, Colin. Friends disapproving. • Mid 1980s started calling herself bisexual. • Relationship with Colin ends, meets Joan, thinks of self as lesbian again – expecting this to be final relationship • Joan dies, needs home care, carers judgemental

Muriel

consciousness raising group, Pat died, idea of married, born Pat Colin bisexuality children divorced 1932

1950

1960s

c. 1970

c. 1980

c. 1985

Joan

c. 1990

starts home care, Joan died

now

Muriel

straight

lesbian

?

bi

consciousness raising group, Pat died, idea of married, born Pat Colin bisexuality children divorced 1932

1950

1960s

c. 1970

c. 1980

c. 1985

lesbian

Joan

c. 1990

?

starts home care, Joan died

now

What are the implications?

Who are ‘we’? - LGBT people: -

-

older bi people younger bi people younger LGT people older LGT people

Activists Service providers Policymakers Opinion shapers Academics

• Academic implications • Practical implications • Political implications

Academic implication 1: Bisexuality is useful to the study of ageing • Diversity of older people

Academic implication 2: Gerontology is useful to bisexuality

Practical implication 1: Service Users bereavement care

straight

lesbian

home care

?

bi

consciousness raising group, Pat died, idea of married, born Pat Colin bisexuality children divorced 1932

1950

1960s

c. 1970

c. 1980

c. 1985

lesbian

Joan

c. 1990

?

starts home care, Joan died

now

Practical implication 2: Ageing in bi communities • Find out what bi older people want from bi communities! • BiCon 2011 workshop – ‘Over 40s nice sit down and a cup of tea’

• Becoming a parent

Practical implication 3: Making work with LGBT older people more bi-inclusive • Challenging casual biphobia • Doing some direct work about bi (and trans) inclusion • Be clear about remit – Don’t call yourself ‘LGBT’ unless you are genuinely welcoming to B (and T) people

• Benefits also to LG and T older people

Practical / political implication: Imagining old age • Failure to image your own old age leads to ageism • Roadmaps can help – especially if have untraditional life course features – not necessarily identical identities

Political implication 1: Activism around old age • Variety among older people – counter ageist stereotypes • Continuing importance of sexuality (for some) • Coming out late in life

Political implication 2: Bi inclusion • Inclusion in Equalities work • Life course perspectives

Conclusions • More research needed • More practical work with bi older people needed – Bi communities – LGBT groups for older people

• More political work needed to challenge – Ideas about ageing – Ideas about sexuality in later life

Picture acknowledgements • • • •

• • • •

Slide 2: (cc) meganpru http://www.flickr.com/photos/meganpru/5914414899/ Slide 3 LHS: (cc) gorickjones http://www.flickr.com/photos/marniewebb/189489887/ Slide 3 RHS: Dunedin Academic Press (used with permission) Slide 11: (cc) Amydeanne http://www.flickr.com/photos/34827444@N08/3233140508/ Slide 12: (cc) ancawonka http://www.flickr.com/photos/ancawonka/166933273/ Slide 18: (cc) Viewminder http://www.flickr.com/photos/light_seeker/6797246171/ Slide 19: (cc) twicepix http://www.flickr.com/photos/twicepix/3055176311/ Slid 20: (cc) marymactavish http://www.flickr.com/photos/42614915@N00/636300761/