Abstract
This paper provides an introduction and overview for the papers in the special issue of this Journal devoted to the latter half of life among gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. Key issues are highlighted in terms of their impact on gay, lesbian, and bisexual cultural communities: the impact of the large aging population of baby boomers; the significance of age as a social organizer; and the areas of research included in this special issue (intimacy and relationships, HIV and AIDS among elders, and the identities and needs of those growing into middle and later life).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Berger, R. M., & Kelly, J. J. (1996a). Prologue: Gay and grey revisted. In R. Berger (Ed.), The older homosexual man, second edition (pp. 1-22). New York: Harrington Park Press.
Berger, R. M., & Kelly, J. J. (1996b). Gay men and lesbians grown older. In R. P. Cabaj & T. S. Stein (Eds.), Textbook of homosexuality and mental health (pp. 305-316). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.
Bradford, J., & Ryan, C. (1991). Who we are: Health concerns of middle-aged lesbians. In B. Sang, J. Warshow, & A. Smith (Eds.), Lesbians at midlife (pp. 146-163). San Francisco: Spinsters Book Company.
Butler, R. (1963). The facade of chronological age: An interpretive summary. American Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 721-728.
Charbonneau, D., & Lander, P. (1991). Redefining sexuality: Women becoming lesbians in midlife. In B. Sang, J. Warshow, & A. Smith (Eds.), Lesbians at midlife: The creative transition (pp. 35-43). San Francisco: Spinsters Book Company.
Cohler, B. J., & Boxer, A. M. (1984). Middle adulthood: Settling into the world — Person, time, and context. In D. Offer & M. Sabshin (Eds.), Normality and the life cycle (pp. 145-203). New York: Basic Books.
D'Augelli, A. R., & Garnets, L. D. (1995). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan: Psychological perspectives (pp. 293-320). New York: Oxford University Press.
D'Augelli, A. R., & Hart, M. (1987). Gay women, men, and families in rural settings: Toward the development of helping communities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1, 79-93.
D'Emilio, J. (1983). Sexual politics, sexual communities. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Easterlin, R. A. (1996). Economic and social implications of demographic patterns. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences, Fourth Edition (pp. 73-93). New York: Academic Press.
Easterlin, R. A. (1987). Birth and fortune: The impact of numbers on personal welfare (2nd edition). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Ettelbrick, P. L. (1992). Since when is marriage a path to liberation. In S. Sherman (Ed.), Lesbian and gay marriage: Private commitments, public ceremonies (pp. 20-26). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Faderman, L. (1991). Odd girls and twilight lovers: A history of lesbian life in twentieth-century America. New York: Columbia University Press.
Fozard, J. L., Metter, E. J., & Brant, L. J. (1990). Next steps in describing aging and disease in longitudinal studies. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 45, 116-127.
Gorman, M. E. (1992). The pursuit of the wish: An anthropological perspective on gay male subculture in Los Angeles. In G. Herdt (Ed.), Gay culture in America (pp. 87-106). Boston: Beacon Press.
Hagestad, G., & Neugarten, B. (1984). Age and the life course. In R. H. Binstock & E. Shanas (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (2nd edition, pp. 35-61). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Herdt, G. (1996). Service needs assessment: Older lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals in metropolitan Chicago. Chicago: Final Report (unpublished) on file, Horizons Community Services, Inc.
Herdt, G. (Ed.) (1992). Gay culture in America. Boston: Beacon Press.
Herdt, G., Beeler, J., & Rawls, T. (1997, this volume). Understanding the identities of older lesbians and gay men: A study in Chicago. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 2(3-4), 231-245.
Herdt, G., & Boxer, A. M. (1996). Children of Horizons: How gay and lesbian youth are leading a new way out of the closet (revised 2nd edition). Boston: Beacon Press.
Herdt, G., & Boxer, A. M. (1992). Introduction: Culture, history, and life course of gay men. In G. Herdt (Ed.), Gay culture in America (pp. 1-28). Boston: Beacon Press.
Herek, G. M. (1995). Psychological heterosexism in the United States. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan: Psychological perspectives (pp. 320-346). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hertzberg, H. (1997). Comment: Oscar's closet, after all it's only make believe. The New Yorker, March 31, 7-8.
Hostetler, A. J., & Cohler, B. J. (1997, this volume). Partnership, singlehood, and the lesbian and gay life course: A research agenda. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 2(3-4), 199-230.
Kertzner, R. M., & Sved, M. (1996). Midlife gay men and lesbians: Adult development and mental health. In R. P. Cabaj & T. S. Stein (Eds.), Textbook of homosexuality and mental health (pp. 289-303). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.
Kimmel, D. C. (1990). Adulthood and aging (3rd edition). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Kimmel, D. C., & Sang, B. E. (1995). Lesbians and gay men in midlife. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan (pp. 190-214). New York: Oxford University Press.
Liebman, M. (1996). Viewpoint: Ageism and coming out. Chicago Windy City Times, WCT Viewpoint.
Linsk, N. (1997, this volume). Experience of older gay and bisexual men living with AIDS. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 2(3-4), 285-308.
Levine, M. P. (1992). The life and death of gay clones. In G. Herdt (Ed.), Gay culture in America (pp. 68-86). Boston: Beacon Press.
Levine, S. (1997). A new look at an old question: Baltimore research transforms fundamental understanding of aging. Washington Post, February 10, 1997, A1.
Michaels, S. (1996). The prevalence of homosexuality in the United States. In R. P. Cabaj & T. S. Stein (Eds.), Textbook of homosexuality and mental health (pp. 43-63). Washington, D.C. and London: American Psychiatric Press.
Moen, P. (1996). Gender, age, and the life course. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences, Fourth edition (pp. 171-187). New York: Academic Press.
Monette, P. (1988). Borrowed time: An AIDS memoir. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich.
Murray, S. O. (1996). American gay. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Neugarten, B. L. (1977). Personality and aging. In J. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 626-649). New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold.
Neugarten, B. L. (1974). Age groups in American society and the rise of the young old. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, September, 187-198.
Neugarten, B. L. (1967). The awareness of middle age. In R. Owen (Ed.), Middle age. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. Reprinted in B. Neugarten (Ed.) (1968), Middle age and aging: A reader in social psychology (pp. 93-98). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Newton, E. (1993). Cherry Grove, Fire Island: Sixty years in America's first gay and lesbian town. Boston: Beacon Press.
Patterson, C. J. (1994). Children of the lesbian baby boom: Behavioral adjustment, self-concepts, and sex role identity. In B. Greene & G. Herek (Eds.), Lesbian and gay psychology: Theory, research and clinical applications (pp. 156-175). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Patterson, C. J. (1995). Lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and their children. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay and bisexual identities over the lifespan (pp. 262-290). New York: Oxford University Press.
Reid, J. D. (1995). Development in late life: Older lesbian and gay lives. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan (pp. 215-240). New York: Oxford University Press.
Riley, M. W. (1987). On the significance of age in sociology. American Sociological Review, 52, 1-14.
Rosenthal, J. (1997). The age boom. New York Times Magazine, March 9, 1997, 39-43.
Ryan, C., & Futterman, D. (1997, in press). Gay and lesbian youth: Care and counseling. New York: Columbia University Press. Also to appear in Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews (June, 1997).
Sang, B. (1993). Some existential issues of midlife lesbians. In L. D. Garnets & D. C. Kimmel (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on lesbian and gay male experience (pp. 500-516). New York: Columbia University Press.
Sang, B., Warshow, J., & Smith, A. (Eds.) (1991). Lesbians at midlife: The creative transition. San Francisco: Spinsters Book Company.
Sherman, S. (Ed.) (1992). Lesbian and gay marriage: Private commitments, public ceremonies (pp. 20-26). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Sharp, C. E. (1997, this volume). Lesbianism and later life in Australia: How does development of one affect anticipation of the other? Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 2(3-4), 247-263.
Stearns, D. & Sabini, D. (1997, this volume). Dyadic adjustment and community involvement in same-sex couples. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 2(3-4), 265-283.
Stoddard, T. B. (1992). The marriage debate. In S. Sherman (Ed.), Lesbian and gay marriage: Private commitments, public ceremonies (pp. 13-19). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Uhlenberg, P., & Miner, S. (1995). Life course and aging: A cohort perspective. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (Fourth edition) (pp. 208-228). New York: Academic Press.
U. S. Bureau of the Census (1992). Population projections of the United States, by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: 1992 to 2050. Current Population Reports, Series P-25, No. 1092.
Weston, K. (1991). Families we choose. New York: Columbia University Press.
Wiener, J. M., & Illston, L. Hixon (1996). The financing and organization of health care for older Americans. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (pp. 427-445). New York: Academic Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boxer, A.M. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Aging into the Twenty-First Century: An Overview and Introduction. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies 2, 187–197 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026323903541
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026323903541