‘Tough, self-indulgent and greedy!’ This session about the baby boomer stereotype was held Sunday 17th November at Queer Nexus in the Lions Art Centre. Thirty people (mostly lesbian women aged between 55 and 70 years and one gay man and one young person) attended and many participated in thoughtful discussion about diverse and common experiences and the needs of people like us, born between 1945 and 1963.
For Miranda the success of the session came from the space provided for discussion – giving an opportunity to share/exchange Jocelyn’s research findings and participants’ stories and interpretations.
The result was a greater awareness of our shared and different experiences and needs, and the beginnings of a sense of shared consciousness. Through the discussion, unheard voices and often invisible experiences and needs were made more visible.
Contributors questioned whose interests were being served by this stereotyping of baby boomers. Possible answers were offered, ranging from straight forward laziness by those looking for someone to blame for current policy problems, for example, for the high cost of housing and the difficulties young people face in entering the housing market; through to it being a diversionary tactic to avoid having to find answers to tricky and complex problems, for example rising health care costs and equitable access to care.
A telling point was made about the even greater invisibility of older lesbian women – less visible than gay men in discussions of sexuality and homosexuality and increasingly invisible as ageing women. The lone gay man talked passionately about the plight of baby boomer gay men, many of whom experienced violence in those years when homosexuality was illegal and ‘poofter bashing’ was commonplace.
Fears about ageing and aged care emerged again. It was acknowledged that lesbian and gay groups have been paying attention to aged care facilities and discrimination but that it is at least as important to begin to think more carefully about what happens in relation to care and support in the home. After all many of us will never see the inside of an aged care facility but nearly all of us will be relying on some level of support at home as we age-in-place.
The connecting idea is that of ‘recognition and respect’. We want difference –of social status, wealth, class, gender, religion and culture, as well as sexuality – to be acknowledged; the effects of past injustices to be recognized; and ignorance and prejudice to be addressed. This is especially important because experiences of recognition and respect are a diminishing resource for most older people and particularly so for older LGBTI.
Miranda Roe- a baby boomer herself – led the discussion
Jocelyn Auer – author of ‘Baby boomers: busting the myths’
NOTE
1) SIS is keen to consult with the LGBTI community to understand how they can tailor their services to be more responsive and if there is anything specific that we want. The most useful way this could be done is through consultation with the LGBTI community. There is no easy conduit for accessing the diversity of lesbians so it is difficult to make contact those who are bisexual, transgender or intersex and hope more of these groups will make contact and/or join the Group. We have been assured that the men’s health network is a useful conduit for accessing gay men. If you are interested in being involved in a consultation to identify the issues of older LGBTI please email Miriam Cocking at Seniors Information Service at Miriam@seniors.asn.au and write GLBTI Consultation in the subject
2) The National LGBT Health Alliance Australia wants to see a national agenda for LGBTI health and wellbeing. In December 2012 it welcomed the release of the National LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care Strategy
3) Also of interest is the comment from Uniting Care on the then opposition’s statement that it would cease to fund LGBTI training for aged care workers.
BABY BOOMERS 