About us
Ageing Proud is a community-led programme of research about ageing well for Rainbow+ (Takatāpui, LGBTQI+, MVPFAFF) communities and the people who care for them.
It was started by Carl and Claire, who met through a symposium on ageing research and realised they had the same goal; to ensure those from Rainbow+ communities can live and age well – authentically, with dignity and respect. Carl and Claire are both connected to Rainbow+ communities.
Ageing Proud now involves a whole network of people committed to thinking and planning for ageing well. There is a research development group (RDG) that includes older Rainbow+ community members and the people that care for them. If you would like to be involved in the RDG, please contact us, or go to the participate page.
We also are building our networks with those in the health and aged care sectors who recognise the importance of this mission.
Special thanks to the Health Research Council (HRC) and CCREATE-AGE for supporting this work.
Carl
Researcher and community member
Carl (he/him) is a gay cis-gender man in his 50s who’s passionate about health and ageing well for LGBTIQ+ communities.
Claire
Researcher and carer
Claire (she/her) is a cis-gender, heterosexual woman who was a carer for her gay dad as he aged. What she experienced as his carer made her determined to use her role as a health researcher for transformative change within the health and ageing sectors for LGBTIQ+ communities.
Sjan-Mari
Researcher and community member
Sjan-Mari (she/her) is a cis-gender pansexual woman, parent, and physiotherapist in her 40s whose work focuses on populations whose bodies and identities challenge dominant norms — including Rainbow+ communities.
The first RDG Group
Ageing Well for Gay and Bisexual Men in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland
This is a photo of most of the members of our first Research Development Group (RDG) in 2024.
Left to Right: Trevor, Greg, Claire, Jim, Andrew, Luca, Nusch, Craig, Carl