An Exploration of Aging in the Gay Community

Abstract

Broaching the topic of age in the youth-and-beauty-obsessed American culture can often be a charged endeavor, laced with bias and prejudice. To provide insight into this delicate issue, this research study focuses on the lived experience of gay men as they age through their middle years. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, six men over the age of 40 were interviewed for their personal experiences and reactions to the aging process, including both challenges and achievements. The data revealed a complex issue that impacts individuals as well as gay and nongay communities, particularly in determining resources and improving understanding for gay men as they age through their middle years. Analysis of data included gay themes, which were explored to provide critical historical, collective and personal context to the aging themes discovered. Resilience was found as a factor in many of the participants’ experiences, demonstrating that gay men gain inner strength from the challenges that they face. The research is further contextualized within the framework of the depth psychological tradition with particular focus on issues involving the individuation of gay men as they age.