Leisure in the Lives of Old Lesbians: Experiences with and Responses to Discrimination

Abstract

Contemporary leisure theorists have emphasized ways that leisure can enhance or reaffirm one's sense of self, but they have not effectively acknowledged that leisure can be a context for negative messages about self. The ways that stigma and discrimination influence the leisure of one disempowered group, old lesbians, is the focus of this study. Sixteen lesbians over the age of 60 wrote responses discussing aspects of their leisure; eight of these women provided additional insights during a series of in-depth interviews. Their awareness of discrimination and their responses to it, with particular focus upon responses within their leisure, are discussed in this paper. Use of an ecological perspective provided a framework for understanding the sources of stigma and discrimination. These women's stories suggested that discrimination was most evident at the macrosystem level but most painful at the exo- and mesosystem levels. The mesosystem and microsystem provided active, viable resources through which these women were able to resist discrimination and establish a supportive community. Leisure played a significant role in this resistance.