'People forget we exist': Why older LGBTQ+ community fears losing identity
A report suggests older LGBTQ+ people experience more social isolation than their heterosexual peers.
By BBC News
Older LGBTQ+ people in Britain are more likely to face social isolation, poorer health and tighter finances than their heterosexual peers, according to a new Centre for Ageing Better report covered by the BBC.
The report warns that without specialist support, some older LGBTQ+ people could feel forced back into the closet when they need care, because of fears about homophobia. It also says many are more likely to be estranged from family, less likely to have children and more likely to live alone.
Sarah Wilkinson, research and analysis manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, said older LGBTQ+ people face the added challenge of ageism after a lifetime of homophobia and transphobia.
The BBC report says more than half of gay and bisexual men aged 65 and over live alone, compared with less than a quarter of heterosexual men. It also says bisexual women aged 50 to 64 are twice as likely as heterosexual women to live alone.
The article does not identify a specific Cheshire location, venue or business.