REMEMBER
Recording Experiences of LGBTQ Elders in Post-Dictatorship Portugal (1974-2020)
In recent years, aging has been a priority area on government and research agendas. Considering the intersection between Gender/LGBTQ Studies and Studies on Age, Aging and Life Course, and combining past memories and the daily management of intimate life in the present, REMEMBER sociologically studies aging as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) person in Portugal. Relevant aspects that inform the analysis of these impacts include the sociocultural value attributed to old age in Portuguese society, the relationship between aging and sexuality, and the absence or limitations of appropriate policies and militancy for older LGBTQ people.
Objective: with an emphasis on care, well-being and mental health, REMEMBER aims at analysing the present / daily management of intimate life of those who grew up in a time when sexual and gender diversity was prohibited (until 1982) and / or associated with illness (years 1980-1990).
Method and sample: 15 in-depth interviews, inspired by the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) to self-identified LGBTQ participants born before 1960; 10 interviews carried out within the scope of the CILIA Vidas LGBTQI+ project.
Funded by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P./MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC), ref.ª: PTDC/SOC-ASO/4911/2021.
Analysis and expected results: centered on both individual and collective narratives, the analysis takes into account 3 moments of biographical transition: strand 1 – marginalization (until decriminalization in 1982); strand 2 – stigma (1980s and 1990s, AIDS crisis); strand 3 – invisible citizenship (aging as a LGBTQ person after 2000). The analysis seeks to identify what we call “narratives of encounter”, that is, an integrated narrative based on individual memories that contribute to a collective community, albeit dispersed and invisible. Their embodied memories and the difficulties experienced today will contribute to new studies and recommendations within the scope of social policies on sexuality and aging. REMEMBER reveals the importance of articulating formal rights and intimate biographies of older citizens, urging academics, professionals and the state to address the vulnerability that can already be observed. Among other outputs, REMEMBER will include: five Knowledge Exchange Workshops, one Short Guide for Elderly Care Providers, one Advanced Training Summer School, articles and one thematic issue in a scientific journal, ten sessions in secondary schools and one archive.
