An Exploration of Victimization in the Older Lesbian Population

Research on lesbian, gay bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) victimization typically focuses on bias crime and intimate partner violence, with little focus on the experience of victimization more generally in this minority community. Meanwhile, the LGBT population has aged with an increasing number falling in the over 65 years old age group. This older population, however, has been largely sidelined in research on LGBT victimization. The authors aim to fill this gap by exploring the victimization experiences of a sample of older lesbians. The findings suggest that older lesbians have a unique victimization experience including a decreasing experience with bias victimization with age.