In Brief

Staff Reports

National Study Finds LGBT Seniors Face Harder Old Age

Dr. Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- A recent study released by the University of Washington’s School of Social Work is turning attention toward a group of seniors who face unique (and ignored) needs; a group whose numbers are expected to be more than 4 million by 2030–lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) boomers. Researchers surveyed 2,560 LGBT adults aged 50-95 across the United States, to find that they had greater rates of disability, depression, loneliness and distress compared with heterosexuals of similar ages. Further highlighted by the study were the unique needs of this aging group, such as fear of discrimination, the lack of children to depend on as caregivers and less social support and financial security with age, as older LGBT adults are less likely to be partnered or married than heterosexuals.

Aging and health issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender baby boomers have been largely ignored by services, policies and research. These seniors face higher rates of disability, physical and mental distress and a lack of access to services, according to the first study on aging and health in these communities.

The study, released Nov. 16 and led by Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen and colleagues at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, indicates that prevention and intervention strategies must be developed to address the unique needs of these seniors, whose numbers are expected to double to more than 4 million by 2030.

“The higher rates of aging and health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults is a major concern for public health,” said Fredriksen-Goldsen, a UW professor of social work and director of UW’s Institute for Multigenerational Health. “The health disparities reflect the historical and social context of their lives, and the serious adversity they have encountered can jeopardize their health and willingness to seek services in old age.”

She presented some of the study’s key findings last week during a congressional briefing.

The study highlights how these adults have unique circumstances, such as fear of discrimination and often the lack of children to help them. Senior housing, transportation, legal services, support groups and social events were the most commonly cited services needed in the LGBT community, according to the study.

The study showed that 80 percent had been victimized at least once during their lifetimes, including verbal and physical assaults, threats of physical violence and being “outed,” and damaged property. Twenty-one percent of respondents said they were fired from a job because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Nearly four out of 10 had considered suicide at some point.

Twenty-one percent of those surveyed did not tell their doctors about their sexual orientation or gender identity out of fear of receiving inferior health care or being turned away for services, which 13 percent of respondents had endured. As one respondent, a 67-year-old gay man, put it, “I was advised by my primary care doctor to not get my HIV tested there, but rather do it anonymously, because he knew they were discriminating.”

Lack of openness about sexuality “prevents discussions about sexual health, risk of breast or prostate cancer, hepatitis, HIV risk, hormone therapy or other risk factors,” Fredriksen-Goldsen said.

The good news? “LGBT older adults are resilient and living their lives and building their communities,” Fredriksen-Goldsen said. Of the study’s respondents, 91 percent reported using wellness activities such as meditation and 82 percent said they regularly exercised. Nearly all – 90 percent – felt good about belonging to their communities. And 38 percent stated that they attended spiritual or religious services, indicating a promising social outlet.

Social connections are key, the study noted because, unlike their heterosexual counterparts, most lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors rely heavily on partners and friends of similar age to provide assistance as they age. While social ties are critical, there may be limits to the ability of those older adults to “provide care over the long-term, especially if decision-making is required for the older adult receiving care,” Fredriksen-Goldsen said.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging.

New Spokesperson For The National Organization For Marriage Argues There Is Distinction Between Hate Speech And “Hurt Speech”

Damian Goddard

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA -- Damian Goddard, who was let go as a sportscaster from Sportsnet network six months ago, after he wrote on Twitter only marriage between a man and a woman is a “true” marriage, is back in the news this time due to his being hired by Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance, a wing of the National Organization for Marriage. NOM is actively working to stop the legalising of same-sex marriages across the United States.

Goddard, who considers himself a devout Roman Catholic, in an interview this week said;

“I do not hate homosexuals. But if I remain silent I am consenting to something I don’t believe in. I have 2,000 years of Christian history backing me up on this. I’m good with that.”

Goddard's case has now come before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal turning into a test case about religious freedom in Canada and the right to declare those views in public.

The National Post newspaper in Ontario reports:

“In Canada we’ve become far too sanguine about restrictions on speech when in fact we should be encouraging speech, not restricting it,” said Iain Benson, a lawyer whose expertise is constitutional law and religious freedom.

Benson says the bill that legalized same sex marriage in Canada six years ago included several clauses that protected freedom of expression, including this one: “[N]othing in this Act affects the guarantee of freedom of conscience and religion and, in particular, the freedom of members of religious groups to hold and declare their religious beliefs and the freedom of officials of religious groups to refuse to perform marriages that are not in accordance with their religious beliefs.”

The lawyer, who would not comment directly on Mr. Goddard’s case, said there is now a dangerous atmosphere in Canada in which comments protected under law can be twisted to appear as hate speech. “Hate speech needs to be related to inciting violence, not hurting feelings,” he said. “I draw a distinction between ‘hurt speech’ and hate speech, and the culture has shifted in which hurt speech has become hate speech.”

William Gale, the broadcaster’s lawyer, said a look at events before his client’s firing makes it clear the tweet was the cause of his dismissal. In May, Sean Avery, a professional hockey player, made a public service announcement supporting gay marriage in the United States. Soon after, hockey agent Todd Reynolds tweeted, saying Avery’s support of same sex marriage was misguided and gay marriage, legal or not, “will always be wrong.” Avery was not a client of Mr. Reynolds.

Goddard decided to send out a tweet of his own on May 10 in support of Reynolds. It read, “I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.” Today, Goddard says, “I just had this immense amount of respect for a man who was willing to put himself out there and speak for truth — and do what we are called to do as Christians. I saw no one was supporting Todd.” He adds the Twitter account was his own and he used it from home, not on company time. He also said he had never been involved in controversy before.

According to Goddard, his boss at Sportsnet called a few hours later and asked him to come to the office immediately. They agreed to meet the next day. “Heading into the chat I thought this is about the tweet because they contacted me right after I sent it. It had to have been about that because I had never been called on the carpet for anything before,” said Goddard. “But I thought they were going to say to tone down the tweets. When I realized they were firing me, I thought, ‘Wow, they’re doing this. They’re firing me for sending a tweet.’ ” He said his wife burst into tears at the news, but understood the tweet was sent out of religious conviction. The couple has two small children. He said his employer never said why he was being let go. In response to questions about Goddard, Sportsnet released the following statement:

In response to questions about Mr. Goddard, Sportsnet released the following statement: “Mr. Goddard is aware of the reasons — which are well documented ­— why he is no longer with Sportsnet. Out of respect for our employees we do not discuss personnel issues in the press.” Mr. Gale said he contacted Sportsnet in May to see if there was an amicable way of settling the situation. He spoke to a senior person in human resources, who said Sportsnet had already made the decision to terminate Mr. Goddard for cause before the May 10 tweet and the company had lots of documentation to support its case.

Compiled from wire service reports with additional reporting from The National Post Canada and Molly McElroy, Communications Specialist for the University of Washington.