Issues concerning gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) older people have been almost completely neglected in Australian gerontology. This is reflected in textual discourse, clinical and service practices, training and education, research approaches and policy development. The research presented in this thesis investigates whether lessons might be drawn from the experience of activists in the United States of America (USA) and then applied to Australian gerontology, with regard to the recognition of GLBTI issues. As such, the research aims to provide guideposts for a process of change in Australia, by the investigation of the factors involved in collective action. / A critical research paradigm underpinned the research approach. The research was informed by social movement theory which includes structural and cultural dimensions of collective action. The approach was also informed by the researcher's history of involvement in activism. Qualitative descriptive research, involving the triangulation of methods, was conducted in Australia and the State of California, in the USA. Fieldwork took place in three phases, involving a questionnaire mailed to Australian activists, analysis of documents held in archival collections in San Francisco and Long Beach, interviews with key activists involved in the Californian process of change and interviews with older GLBTI Australian activists. Throughout the period of the inquiry, the researcher recorded a log of relevant action that occurred in Australia. / Thesis (PhDHealthSciences)--University of South Australia, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267561 |
| Creators | Harrison, Josephine Anne. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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