Elderberries Library: 2025-01-20 Meeting

Speakers Bureau Request

When: Monday, 20 January, 10:00AM

Host: Austin Oswald as799581@dal.ca Assistant Professor School of Health and Human Performance Dalhousie University

Location: Tupper Building, 10th Floor, Dalhousie

Topic: Queer Perspectives on Aging

On Standby

What would you like to tell younger people about aging?

Alison: parts of my body don't work as well as they used to
Eric: it's work to get out and socializing
Steph: it's important to get out, that makes me feel good. I use computers, but even I have trouble with fast advancing technology.
Chris: older people seem to be more in the closet. I have to rememeber that some time ago I was in the closet - in Labrador. I had no ideas what it meant by saying being in the closet.

How do you deal with stigma or false beliefs from within the queer community?

Eric: I don't believe in stigma: for example, "Queer" is hurtful for some people but I spent lots of time in New York when we repatriated the word. I had to learn about pronouns but I'm very happy we're here now.
Steph: When I was growing up there was no stigma, there were no distinctions between gay and straight and black and white. When I get deadnamed: hey, I've been in bed with a girl, and called her by my ex's name. You should practice not being upset, when the person apologizes. When I tell stories about my past life, do I use "Stephanie" or do I use "Steve" ?? Eventually you work through that.
Allison: the word "lesbian" had such a stigma. We were gay. Then we decided to carve out our own identity. It seems like "Queer" is a watering down of my existence as a lesbian.

What has a healtcare professional done to make you comfortable? What have they done to make you NOT comfortable?

Chris: Hospitals really have gone out of their way to make us comfortble. That being said, when I was in a hospital I'd try to get out as soon as possible. I think that people are doing their jobs as well as possible - that being said, there are a few bad people.
Allison: I'm really a boy; I'm really a tomboy. But then, these things started to grow on my chest. In 2020 I was thinking of asking for gender affirming surgery and was really afraid of being laughed at - but I wasn't.
Eric: