The Families of LGBTQ Older Adults: Theoretical Approaches to Creative Family Connections in the Context of Marginalization, Social‐Historical Change, and Resilience

Abstract

This article examines how families are theorized at the complex crossroads of age, sexuality, and gender, and explores theoretical innovations derived from analyses embedded in the families of LGBTQ older adults, who have lived outside the embrace of heteronormativity. To address the extent of theorizing, we conducted a content analysis of 36 studies from 2010 to 2019. The articles revealed a social justice orientation that contextualized the marginalization and resilience in the social‐historical framing of LGBTQ older adults' family life. Most articles used theory explicitly or implicitly, including life course, minority stress, and intersectionality theories, and demonstrated the intimate connection of theory and research. Future theorizing about the families of LGBTQ older adults requires more diverse samples, contextualization of LGBTQ older adults' families through critical approaches such as queer theory, and the opportunity to study new avenues into intra‐ and intergenerational family ties in this pioneering population.