Terminology
LGBT* is an acronym and is considered an umbrella encompassing individuals that identify as non heterosexual and/or non cisgender.
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Our identities are complex and unique and consist of different elements. Consider the Gender Unicorn shown below.
The Gender Unicorn shows that there are distinct differences between gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, attraction, and sexual orientation.
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History of the LGBT* Community In The United States
A historical cohort is a group of individuals uniquely impacted by major historical events because of their age when they occurred (Hillier & Barrow, 2015).
The estimated 2.7 million LGBT* older adults in the U.S. can be considered a historical cohort because they experienced unique events growing up which shaped their lives and continue to impact them today (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders, 2017; Alzheimer's Association & SAGE, 2018; Fredriksen-Goldsen, et al., 2019).
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The following examples demonstrate the resiliency of the LGBT* community and provide context as to why some LGBT* individuals come out later in life.
Timeline
Sodomy Laws
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1600’s to 2003.
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Criminialized same-sex intercourse.
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Sodomy laws were not outlawed in all 50 states until 2003 (Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558).
Executive Order 10450
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Issued in 1953 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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Banned Lesbian and Gay individuals from working in the federal government and was not repealed until 1975.
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This period of time was known as the Lavender Scare.
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964
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Legally prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
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Although this was a momentous occasion, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 excluded sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Stonewall Riots
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1969
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The Stonewall Riots were considered the beginning of the LGBT* rights movement as we know it today.
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The Stonewall Riots occurred as a response from the Transgender and Gay community against continued unrestrained police brutality and mistreatment.
The Diagnostic Statistical Manual
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The classification of homosexuality in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual meant that identifying as someone who had sex with someone of the same gender was seen as a curable condition.
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This belief is apart of what spurred the present day conversion therapy movement.
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Homosexuality was removed as an illness in 1973.
The HIV/AIDS Epidemic
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The HIV/AIDS epidemic began in 1981 and still exists today (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020).
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In 1990 there were 160,969 cases of AIDS reported to date and 120,453 deaths (amfAR, 2020).
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Presently, the FDA makes it illegal for any men who have sex with men to donate blood, unless they have obstained from sexual contact for 12 months.
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Overruling of the Defense Against Marriage Act
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The Defense Against Marriage Act was signed in 1991 and overruled in 2015.
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Allowance of same gender or same sex marriage.
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Marriage equality has provided numerous legal and financial benefits to couples of the same gender, such as:
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​Being able to receive social security benefits and/or pension benefits when a spouse passes away
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Official rights to hospital visitation
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Recognition as a health care proxy
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