GAY MEN AT MIDLIFE AND ADULT LEARNING:
AN UNEASY TRUCE WITH HETERONORMATIVITY
Open Access
Author:
Bettinger, Thomas Vincent
Graduate Program:
Adult Education
Degree:
Doctor of Education
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
January 30, 2007
Committee Members:
Edward W Taylor, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Elizabeth Jean Tisdell, Committee Member Holly L Angelique, Committee Member Patricia Bullock, Committee Member
Keywords:
adult learning adult development midlife heteronormativity gay men
Abstract:
Framed from a social constructivist perspective and informed by queer theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry was undertaken to explore how self-identified gay men negotiate midlife in a heteronormative society. In their own words and through their own stories, thirteen gay men between the ages of 40 and 60 relate lived experiences which explicate ways in which they both adhere to and resist societal and cultural expectations and understandings as to what it means to be an aging gay man. The findings have implications for adult development and adult education, two fields in which this group has largely been ignored.
