Social Support in Older Transgender and Gender Diverse Communities in the United Kingdom and Australia: A Comparative Study During COVID-19

ABSTRACT

While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older people has been recognized, there is limited understanding of its impact on older trans and gender diverse people who often have different experiences of care and support than the general population. This article examines older trans and gender diverse people’s experience of social support during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a comparative mixed method survey administered in Australia and the United Kingdom. Using a non-probability sample of 84 participants who were connected to social media and service organizations in the United Kingdom and Australia, we found some commonalities and differences between experiences in these countries. Some participants were isolated, including almost 1 in 5 participants who said that they did not have someone they could call upon in an emergency. However, participants had rich networks of friends, partners, and family members. Religious organizations and the community also played an important role. Friends were reported as the main emergency contacts and as the main people to whom support is provided. This research supports previous findings that friends of trans and gender diverse people play an important role in well-being.

KEYWORDS:

• Social networks
• transgender and gender diverse
• friendships
• older adults
• COVID-19

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank LGBTIQ+ Health Australia for their collaboration in this research. Thanks to the many organizations and individuals in the LGBTIQ+ communities in both countries who helped with distribution.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.