Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

This paper is part of a doctoral project that explores how older same-sex couples in Scotland imagine their future. The paper explores the past and present political engagement of older same-sex couples in Scotland. As a generation that grew up during the time when homosexuality was illegal in Scotland (up until 1980), the couples in this research spent their youth advocating for LGBT rights and equality. Now in their 60s and 70s, these couples are still politically active and engaged in various campaigns, hoping their involvement will make life better for future generations. Through joint semi-structured interviews and written diaries, the couples talk about their responsibility for younger generations and the importance of fighting for equality and human rights. Through their political activism they are also dismantling the stereotypes around political participation of older people, who are often perceived as conservative and holding old-fashioned beliefs that do not benefit the younger generations. This study explores the motivation behind their political involvement and focuses on the importance of the life-course approach in this topic in particular, and in ageing research in general, linking their past stories with present actions and future hopes.