Queer aging is the next frontier in LGBTQ+ human rights

At 62, Laila Vargas has found a new lease on life. Much of this she attributes to coming out of the proverbial closet just three years ago. Today, Laila openly identifies as a lesbian and is happily married to "the woman of her dreams." She describes feeling free—at long last—to live the rest of her life with the authenticity and freedom she wishes she found in her youth.

Laila is eager to give back after spending much of her life hiding her identity from her community and herself. She is an active member of numerous advocacy groups in her home country, Costa Rica. Laila speaks candidly and passionately about the challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face in Central America and beyond. She describes her "commitment to the cause" as being inspired, in part, by her desire to make up for lost time.

Years, she feels, were marked by internalized homophobia and a fear of social rejection.

But even as Laila enjoys this newfound sense of self and purpose, she is simultaneously experiencing a new kind of reckoning: being an LGBTQ+ elder.

As leaders at SAGE, the world's oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people, we often hear stories like Laila's. The questions she is grappling with reflect the experience of a growing number of LGBTQ+ elders around the world who are now living longer and experiencing isolation, financial instability, and discrimination at rates disproportionate to the general population.

It is difficult to estimate the number of LGBTQ+ elders alive today. Most governments do not collect information based on gender identity and sexual orientation. However, the data is clear on one point: the number and proportion of older people in the general population is rapidly increasing.The World Health Organization projects that the number of people over 60 years old will double to over 2 billion by 2050. Indeed, this demographic trend is occurring in every country worldwide, most prominently in low- and middle-income countries, where 80% of older people will reside by 2050.

Increased life expectancy is a significant global achievement. However, national governments and international health systems still need to adequately address the unique needs and vulnerabilities of people in older age. Around the globe, LGBTQ+ people are among the most marginalized groups of older people, experiencingwidespread human rights violations based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and the stigma of ageism. For many, isolation and loneliness are of the utmost concern, with LGBTQ+ elders less likely to have children or partners and more prone to disconnection or rejection from their families of origin. This sometimes resorts to re-closeting for acceptance and care in later years.

This isolation from family of origin has been reported to force LGBTQ+ elders to rely more heavily on government programs, community-based services, and professionalized care (often delivered by religious organizations) where such options exist. However, high levels of discrimination, criminalization, and neglect can create enormous barriers to accessing essential services even as the need for care increases in later years.

Little has been done to address these concerns. Instead, advocacy efforts for gender and sexual minorities tend to prioritize youth. While this makes good sense when we consider the onslaught of attacks facing LGBTQ+ young people today, to call for increased investment in older people is not to dismiss the pressing needs of our youth. Robust support is necessary, for example, to address high rates of bullying and suicide among LGBTQ+ teens, and investment in youth-led activism is paramount to these efforts. But many elders ask where the same support is for our aging community members.

While the specifics of LGBTQ+ aging vary from country to country and region to region, older members of our community commonly face widespread discrimination in care, services, and housing. They are at acute risk for severe social isolation and economic insecurity. In the absence of adequate state protections and services, LGBTQ+ advocates must do what we have always done—protect our own.

Responding to this call is the task of our time.

Hannah Yore is an international human rights activist specializing in advocacy related to care work and the human rights protections of LGBTIQ+ individuals and those living with HIV/AIDS. She currently serves as the Director of International Programs atSAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders.

Michael Adams is the Chief Executive Officer of SAGE. A Stanford Law School and Harvard College graduate, Adams has authored numerous publications on LGBTQ+ issues. He has taught law school courses on sexual orientation and gender identity and has served on advisory councils for AARP, the American Society on Aging, and the New York City Department for the Aging among others. He is also the former Chair of the American Society on Aging.

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