Retirement and LGBT+ inclusion

I’m truly honoured to be recognised as an LGBT+ executive ally by LGBT Great, who work so hard to create LGBT+ inclusion in the global investment industry.

Our industry can do more to improve the experience of older people who are LGBT+, and at Legal & General we’ve made a start by challenging the tired stereotypes we’re presented with in retirement imagery. When people think of retirees they generally picture media portrayals: Caucasian heterosexual couples walking into the sunset, or grandparents playing with their grandchildren.

We need to reflect all realities and consider sexuality, gender, race and childless people – there are a million people aged over 60 in the UK who don’t have children. Our Colourful Retirement campaigns are designed to let go of those fusty clichés and portray a more realistic view of later life. I believe that with activity like this, we can change these thought habits on old age.

There are many challenges for older people today who are LGBT +, such as issues of transsexuality and dementia. Some groups of LGBT people would like to see more later life accommodation specifically targeted for their community. We know some LGBT people worry that they need to go back into the closet as they start to interact with the health and care system – a tragedy that needs urgent attention.

I think we understand these things at a high level but there’s a lot more detail for us to understand, and I look forward to building on the progress we’ve made in making retirement a more inclusive concept. Read more about LGBT Great and their list of 100 Executive allies here: https://www.lgbtgreat.com/top-100