Articles focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults and aging

"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Aging: The Role of Gerontological Social Work", a special triple issue from the Journal of Gerontological Social Work is now available for FREE ACCESS all of September 2014. The issue includes 18 articles and focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults and aging, an often unseen and marginalized subset of aging persons. 

The introduction to the special issues asks readers to "review each of the articles in this special issue in an effort to grasp the potential for the profession of social work to provide leadership with the LGBT aging population in all of these arenas, as well as in program development."  The vast areas of research in this issue cast light on the broad diversity in the aging LGBT population.  Areas of concern include: human rights and policy; issues related to ageism, heterosexism, and gender identity; relations with families and relationships; social support networks; issues related to racial and multicultural identity; and health and mental health disparities. 

As stated in the introduction, the aim of this special issue is "to provide an array of scholarly literature on LGBT aging in an effort to raise awareness of pertinent issues facing this population. The particular focus is to build capacity in the discipline of social work so that gerontological social work scholars and practitioners have a voice in the multidisciplinary dialogue." 

Guest Editor Noell L. Rowan adds, "This work is the first of its kind in a social work academic journal and the release of these articles is timely given the current political and social climate in America."