Sometimes it can seem that trans elders are like hens’ teeth in a sea of predominately trans and non-binary young people. If you are a trans elder, you may well feel that most available sources of support and information are geared toward people many decades younger, and just don’t feel all that pertinent.
In fact, there are places where trans elders gather to share stories and advice. One of the oldest (22 years old!) is ElderTG, a listserv specifically designed for trans people of all gender vectors and identities who are 50 years old or older. It also includes some partners and other close family members, but service providers and researchers are encouraged to join the Transgender Aging Network (TAN) instead. ElderTG can be quite active, particularly when new people come in with a lot of questions, but it is also a comfortable “kitchen table” for many long-termers, who discuss anything and everything except politics and religion.
A new book has been issued by long-term trans activist Jude Patton and Margot Wilson. TRANScestors Navigating LGBTQ+ Aging, Illness, and Edu of Life Decisions: Generations of Hope is the first in a series of four. Keep watch for Generations of Change, Generations of Pride, and Generations of Challenge.
If you love photography, do not miss Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre’s To Survive on These Shores: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults. Each gorgeous portrait is paired with a page or two of prose that brings the trans elder’s life into focus.
Want to keep up-to-date with research and articles on trans aging? The Transgender Aging Network – both a listserv and a Facebook page – is open to everyone. Speaking of Facebook, there are other trans aging-related pages, like The Original Trans Men Over 40. Play with some searches and you will find other social media outlets.
A diverse selection of resources useful to transgender elders is available on the website of the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. There are lots of general publications, but there are also some very specific guides such as Medicare Changes for Transgender Older Adults and help for caregivers, I Have a New Transgender.Client…Now What?
#30DaysOfAction #TDOR #TDOR2020 #TransAging #TransElders #ElderTG #JessTDugan #JudePatton #FORGE #SAGE #LGBTAgingCenter