Non-heteronormative ageing – experiences and reflections of gay men from the “silent generation”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/PS/2026/75.2/1Keywords:
homosexuality, gay men, ageing, critical gerontologyAbstract
The ageing processes of non-heterosexual individuals have been an area of scientific reflection and research since the 1970s. Researchers assume that, on the one hand, members of sexual minorities share many experiences related to the passage of time with the wider population; on the other hand, these processes in their case are characterised by specific features resulting from their minority social status. The main aim of this article is to present selected aspects of ageing based on twenty-three narrative interviews conducted with gay men belonging to the so-called “silent generation”, who formed their sexual identities during the communist era in Poland. The men’s accounts of various aspects of ageing demonstrate that these processes encompass both universal elements and features related to the distinct social construction of non-normative sexualities. This justifies the application of critical gerontology as an interpretative framework, as well as reference to accelerated ageing theory and crisis competence theory.
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