When we speak about seniors, we rarely mention issues related to sexuality. There is a strong assumption in our society that sexuality “stops” after a certain age. Reality, however , can be quite different. 

Community groups or governmental institutions sometimes tackle issues related to senior LGBTQ+ communities—to discuss their invisibility and the discrimination they face. 

In popular media and for the general public, senior LGBTQ+ people are simply forgotten, just like  the existence of their sexuality. 

From the perspective of young people, an elderly person is perceived through their youth—rather than young people considering their future selves. This sustains the invisibility of a senior’s present life . 

LGBTQ+ elders have an existence that goes beyond their past, and they have a lot to say about their present.

Their realities are unfortunately obscured or rendered invisible by the double shroud of ageist and homophobic discrimination.

In two parts, this project aims to fight against this obscuring. 

Part 1:
Addressing the general public, we aim to normalize the sexual and relational realities of senior LGBTQ+ people, by largely publicizing positive messages about these topics in a major awareness-raising campaign. This campaign will help create an approachable and healthy social environment for LGBTQ+ seniors to freely live their intimacy and sexuality without shame. 

Part 2: 
More focused and directly addressing seniors, this section aims to provide tools to break away from ageist, homophobic, transphobic, and bi-phobic preconceptions, help them develop their sexual agency and break free from isolation so that they can normalize their sexual and relational experiences. 

Project Funding
This project was made possible thanks to the financial contribution of the Bureau de lutte contre l’homophobie et la transphobie of the Ministry of Justice of Quebec, and to the volunteer work of the members of Les 3 sex*.