This article highlights key health issues, contemporary research topics, and opportunities for advancing aging research with sexual and gender minority (SGM) older adults, or individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, non-binary, or who exhibit attractions and behaviors that do not align with heterosexual or traditional gender norms. Using a life course perspective, we provide a sociohistorical context and highlight the social, psychological, and physical health, and healthcare experiences of SGM older adults in the U.S. Additionally, we present an overview of SGM aging research disseminated in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B over the past five years. After reviewing these topics, we discuss limitations and gaps in the current research and provide recommendations for future research with SGM aging populations.

Using a U.S. population-based sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) and other sexual minority (e.g., queer-identified) people, we compared those who identified as asexual (n = 19; 1.66%) and those who were non-asexual (n = 1504; 98.34%). Compared to non-asexual respondents, asexual respondents were more likely to be women or gender non-binary and belong to a younger (ages 18-27) cohort.Asexual individuals were also less likely to have had sex in the past 5 years, compared to non-asexual men, women, and gender non-binary participants, and also reported lower levels of sexual attraction to cisgender men and women than non-asexual women and men, respectively. However, asexual participants did not differ from non-asexual participants in being in an intimate relationship. Asexual respondents felt more stigma than non-asexual men and women, and asexuals reported more everyday discrimination than did non-asexual men. Asexual and nonasexual respondents did not differ in their sense of connectedness to the LGB community. Asexual and non-asexual respondents were as likely to be out to all family, all friends, and all co-workers, but fewer asexual participants were out to all healthcare providers than non-asexual men. The two groups were similar in general well-being, life satisfaction, and social support. In conclusion, asexual identity is an infrequent but unique identity, and one that has the potential to expand the concept of queer identity as well as to destabilize the foregrounding of sexual behavior.

As the health care and well-being of sexual and gender minority (SGM; i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender or gender non-binary) people in the United States receive federal and local-level attention, SGM older adults and caregivers continue to be left out of important health policy and care conversations. The current article describes policy issues and affirmative strategies related to inclusive care practices among SGM older adults and caregivers. In addition to the broader policies considered related to health and well-being, we include a discussion of local-level policy strategies to mitigate discrimination and promote inclusive care for SGM older adults and caregivers. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48 (12), 6–15.]

The current article presents results of a scoping review of international research on the health and health care needs of sexual and gender minority (SGM) older adults. Electronic databases and related resources were used to identify empirical and review studies published during the past 10 years. We reviewed 33 peer-reviewed articles from 19 countries. Findings were organized using the SGM Health Disparities Research Framework, which highlights factors at individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels that impact health. Overall, historic and current environmental factors, including stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion, played an important role in SGM older adults' health, health care access, and use of related aging and social services. There is a critical need for training and future research, and health professionals are needed to advance gerontological health and health care research and improve the health and care of SGM older adults globally. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48 (4), 13–20.]