Centre for Policy on Ageing



Signposts of aging — the transitions to later life of a sample of older gay men
Author(s)	Adrian Lee
Journal title	Ageing International, vol 29, no 4, Fall 2004
Pages	pp 368-384
Keywords	Older men ; Sexual orientation ; Ageing process ; Social surveys.
Annotation	Using data generated from interviews with 15 homosexual men aged 57-84, this paper argues that traditionally recognised perceptions of ageing and transitions from middle to old age are not necessarily reliable indicators of gay men's experiences. The signposts to ageing discussed so far do not account for varied personal characteristics and backgrounds. The framework of ageing reminders developed by Karp in 2000 is shown to be relevant to the perceptions of ageing shown in the data. However, it is argued that these reminders are not necessarily evident just to people in their fifties, and that they may also be experienced in different ways. This paper develops Karp's model, demonstrating the reminders he introduced to show the variety of ages at which they become evident, the heteronormativity of the existing framework and how this can be reduced, the way reminders interconnect, and how those relating to the body can usefully be subdivided to elucidate the number of different ways the body can be experienced, highlighting the transition in later life. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-050715204 A
Classmark	BC: ES6: BG: 3F
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.