Special issues related to aging adults.

Abstract

Older adults who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) or as transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) have often been considered an "invisible minority." Historically, research and clinical literature on aging has not typically acknowledged diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity. In turn, LGBT-related written work has not classically considered the experiences of LGBT adults in later life. Although recent years have brought about some progress, the older-adult LGBT population continues to be veiled throughout the literature, with neither clear identification or inclusion in aging publications nor direct recognition of their presence represented in the literature focusing on LGBT people.This increasingly growing group, however, can no longer be concealed, as current demographics project a significant growth in numbers for this population in coming decades. When looking at the most recent population-based Gallup survey of LGBT individuals, 3.4% of Americans overall identified as 10