State of LGBTQ+ Adults 45 and Older: The AARP Dignity Series

[Behind the Aegis]

By Cassandra Cantave Burton, AARP Research
Published June 18, 2024
/ Updated August 12, 2024

AARP’s Dignity 2024: The Experience of LGBTQ+ Older Adults increases our understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ adults age 45-plus in the areas of health care access, caregiving, isolation, and relationships. This latest report is a part of the LGBTQ+ Dignity series that AARP releases every one to two years. Aligned with the past studies, Dignity 2024 finds that many LGBTQ+ adults still worry about social isolation and support as they age.

According to Movement Advancement Project (MAP), there are over 2.4 million LGBT* adults over age 50 in the United States, and this number is expected to double to over 5 million by 2030. A recent Gallup report noted that LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or some other sexual orientation besides heterosexual. The younger cohorts are more apt to self-identify, with one in five adults ages 18 to 26 identifying as LGBTQ+ compared to about 8% of adults age 44 and over identifying as such. Despite the growth in the population, data gaps persist in survey-based research.

Research consistently illustrates that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adults have different life experiences than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. LGBTQ+ communities are diverse in race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status, ability, and in other respects, and while the research exploring LGBTQ+ adults has expanded throughout the years, there is still much to understand, including how inequality and compounded discrimination impact their quality of life across the lifespan.

LGBTQ+ issues are diverse and complicated. Historically LGBTQ+ people have faced discrimination in every area of their lives from employment to housing to healthcare. Along with AARP research, scholarly research supports the notion that LGBTQ+ people sometimes create strategies to avoid discrimination such as going back into the closet to find suitable housing, or forgoing essential healthcare which could ultimately lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes, thereby jeopardizing their longevity.

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