“They Just Don’t Have a Clue”: Transgender Aging and Implications for Social Work

Abstract

This article explores transgender aging, drawing from life story interviews with transgender adults aged 62–78. The analysis focuses on 3 themes: intersections of age and gender during the life course, lack of knowledge of transgender issues, and how previous experiences of accessing care and social services matter in later life. It illustrates how older transgendered adults carry physical and mental scars from previously encountered transphobia, which affect various aspects of later life. Implications for social work are discussed and client-centered care, with a biographical approach, is suggested to better meet the needs of transgendered older adults.