LGBQ-Specific Elderly Housing as a “Sparkling Sanctuary”: Boundary Work on LGBQ Identity and Community in Relationship to Potential LGBQ-Specific Elderly Housing in Sweden

Abstract

This study explored how boundaries in relationship to community and identity were created and negotiated among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) people within the framework of picturing LGBQ-specific elderly housing as a housing alternative in older age, by applying focus group methodology. "An island as a sparkling sanctuary" was identified as a metaphor for how symbolic resources defining the LGBQ community can be manifested in LGBQ-specific qualities of elderly housing. The boundary work underlying this manifestation included elaborations on the dilemma between exclusiveness and normality. The findings illustrate further how symbolic resources and collective identities were developed through dialectic interplay between internal and external definitions. Further, the findings show how boundary work generated shared feelings of similarity and group membership. The associated symbolic and social resources not only served to deal with difficult situations but also to manifest LGBQ identity and sense of community as a "gold medal."

Housing as a determinant of health for older LGBT Canadians: Focus group findings from a national housing study

“…Our findings are congruent with previous research that indicates that many older LGBT populations have ambivalent opinions regarding LGBT-specific or segregated housing (e.g., Putney et al, 2018;Rosenberg et al, 2018). Matthews et al (2017) found that the creation of an apartment complex in Chicago specifically for LGBT seniors with limited income resulted in 57% of the residents reporting that their social networks had expanded after moving in, emphasizing how targeted housing may help address social isolation and improve health outcomes for this population.…”

“There isn't anybody else like me around here”: the insider-outsider status of LGBT residents in housing with care schemes for older people

“…Growing literature on older LGBT adults' preferences for housing in later life suggests a mixed range of views with a definite leaning toward gender and sexuality-specific housing communities. From their group discussions with LGBQ Swedish citizens, Rosenberg et al ( 2018 ) indicate that older adults view LGB-specific spaces as an island of sanctuary and draw a symbolic boundary between general society and LGB-specific communities and spaces. However, preferences for same-gender housing identified by men and women complicate this idealized arrangement (Rosenberg et al, 2018 ), as echoed in other studies of LGB adults' preferences for specialized housing in later life (Westwood, 2016 ; Willis et al, 2019 ).…”

“…From their group discussions with LGBQ Swedish citizens, Rosenberg et al ( 2018 ) indicate that older adults view LGB-specific spaces as an island of sanctuary and draw a symbolic boundary between general society and LGB-specific communities and spaces. However, preferences for same-gender housing identified by men and women complicate this idealized arrangement (Rosenberg et al, 2018 ), as echoed in other studies of LGB adults' preferences for specialized housing in later life (Westwood, 2016 ; Willis et al, 2019 ). Westwood ( 2017 ) points to a “collective homogenizing discourse” that lumps LGBT older adults' housing preferences into one model or approach and that exacerbates gender-based marginalization for lesbians and bisexual women.…”

The provision of healthcare services to older LGBT adults in the Nordic countries: a scoping review

“…Some studies directed attention towards the fact that institutional and structural factors influence older LGBT adults’ healthcare experiences [ 22 , 27 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 42 , 45 ]. Studies emphasized that as long as measures at the organizational level are lacking, older LGBT adults are at the mercy of individual healthcare workers and their widely varying attitudes and competence [ 27 , 45 ].…”