Young, Old & Queer All Over: Illness & Mortality Across Generations

How do experiences of serious, life-limiting illnesses or conditions and facing mortality differ between younger queer and older LGBTQ+ people? 

What wisdom and fears do we share, and where do our paths diverge?

Younger queer people often face life-changing illnesses and conditions in an age of digital “connection” that can feel isolating. 

Their resilience is shaped by intersectional struggles—racism, ableism, transphobia—that intersect with illness and mortality in complex ways.

Older LGBTQ+ generations carry the memory of the AIDS epidemic, when care networks were built from scratch and survival demanded resilience, community, and activism. 

That history carries lessons for today: how community can show up in the absence of systems that support us, how grief can galvanize collective strength, and how surviving one crisis shapes how we approach the next. Yet aging also brings its own isolation, especially in a culture that often sidelines queer elders.

This conversation brings generations together—holding space for stories, solidarity, and our shared humanity.