Sexual Violence, Elder Abuse, and Sexuality of Transgender Adults, Age 50+: Results of Three Surveys

Relatively little is known about the lives of transgender people once they are through their gender transition. Even less is known about transgender elders, either those who transitioned many decades ago and now have grown older or those who are transitioning in mid- or later-life. This article reports on the findings of three online surveys of transgender adults age 50 years and older on three topics: sexual violence, elder abuse, and sexuality. Sexual violence and elder abuse had been experienced by a strong majority of those surveyed. The sexuality survey demonstrated clearly that there is a vast range of diversity in transgender people's sexual lives and that the majority of midlife and older transgender people believed their gender identity influenced their sexuality.