The untold history of lesbian life from those who have lived it!
Lives of Lesbian Elders: Looking Back, Looking Forward illuminates
the hopes, fears, issues, and concerns of gay women as they grow
older. Based on interviews with 62 lesbians ranging in age from 55
to 95, this very special book provides a historical account of the
shared experiences of the lesbian community that is so often
invisible or ignored in contemporary society. The book gives voice
to their thoughts and feelings on a wide range of issues, including
coming out, identity and the meaning of life, the role of family
and personal relationships, work and retirement, adversity, and
individual sources of strength and resilience. Cast off and
overlooked at best or victims of scorn and prejudice at worst,
lesbians in the twentieth century lived dual lives, their full
voices unhearduntil now. Lives of Lesbian Elders chronicles the
life choices they made and their reasons for making them, set
against the contexts of culture, politics, and the social mores of
the eras in which they lived. Their stories of courage, resilience,
resourcefulness, pride, and independence help restore lesbian
history that has been forgotten, distorted, or disregarded and
provide the information necessary to meet the future needs of aging
lesbians. Lives of Lesbian Elders gives aging lesbians a chance to
discuss their thoughts on a variety of topics, including: Coming
out You didn't talk about it . . . Until two years ago, I never
even referred to a lesbian or would I allow the word to pass my
lips I used to sneak into libraries and read about homosexuality
and back in that era, it was not classy . . . it was classified as
a disorder of some type Identity The only difference between me and
anybody else is that I just happen to be sleeping with a woman I
think I grew up not really knowing who I was and, I think, probably
fighting all my life trying to find out who I was Family I feel
very connected with the lesbian community here . . . I guess I
would call that family Many years ago, my sister said: 'I think
when they're ready, you need to explain to (the nieces) what a
lesbian is, because I want them to hear the correct story . . . I
want them to hear what it really is and not all these stupid rumors
that go around' Work I was going to become a youth minister at one
point and it dawned on me in high school that there was no way the
church was going to let me work with kids I didn't really finish my
career . . . I still have dreams about the military and about not
finishing . . . It was my choice, but it wasn't really my choice
Aging and the Future I think financing, of course, is a real big
problem for lesbian women I have a concern that if anything should
happen to my partnerin growing olderof being isolated from the gay
community . . . and much more! Lives of Lesbian Elders: Looking
Back, Looking Forward also includes appendices that present
demographic data on the women who were interviewed for the book,
information on historical timelines, and suggested readings on
lesbian history. The book is an invaluable addition to the growing
collective history of lesbians in the United States.
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