At the end of the rainbow: ageing and place of LGBTQI+ people

Abstract

In ageing societies, there is a necessity to take into consideration the multifaceted backgrounds and needs of older adults to ensure proper services and the quality of living in later life. In this article, we examine the experiences and life expectancies of ageing LGBTQI+ people in Finland and in Sweden. We understand that older adults, as well as LGBTQI+ people, are not a homogenous group but come from versatile backgrounds. In the study, we examine ageing in the context of place. The article answers the call of geographers of ageing to emphasize the importance of place in ageing (in-place) studies. We elaborate on the meanings of being ‘in place’ as a viewpoint on housing, care, community and society. Furthermore, we focus on ageing ‘out of place,’ which refers to experiences of alienation and exclusion of LGBTQI+ people in, for example, public places. The results show that the former criminalization, psychiatric classifications and negative attitudes have had an influence on older LGBTQI+ adults, especially, and this is reflected in how they see places and their possibilities to behave or have proper care. Thus, many LGBTQI+ people want to age surrounded by the members of their own community. However, currently, few possibilities for this are being provided by society.