Degree Date

2021

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Social Work and Social Research

Abstract

Researchers are actively exploring how historical institutionalized silences contribute to health disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Yet, none have considered LGBT elders within the specific context of community-based senior centers. My study addressed the research question: how does the discourse of senior centers create welcoming environments, or alternately construct silences, for LGBT older adults? Through an integrated conceptual framework engaging the critical lens of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice in tandem with conceptualizations of silence found in feminist theory and scholar of Black women’s intellectual history, I employed an embedded single case design (N=1) to provide an in-depth exploration of a senior center in the Pacific Northwest. Data collection included review of state, county, and organizational policy documents (n=11), key organizational outreach documents (n=4), interviews with senior center staff (n=4) and participants (n=18), and observations (n=15) of key routine activities. Using an analytic method combining the sensibility of critical discourse analysis with aspects of content analysis, I considered how the language of state, local, and organizational policy converges with organizational practices and the perspectives of senior center participants to construct the daily habits and rules of the senior center— and the implications for the positionality of LGBT older adults. Findings suggest an underlying tension between legitimization of LGBT identities and silence evident across policy, practice, and participant discourse. Implications for practice and future research are discussed and situated in emerging literature on LGBT institutional allyship.

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