About

The Aging Rainbow Research Project highlights how 2SLGBTQI+ older adults and seniors experience their affective, institutional, and social lives, and how they navigate barriers to social engagement and to accessing health, community, and social services across the province of New Brunswick.

A clear pink pill organizer against a pale blue background. The three middle chambers are open and are filled with blue, pink, and white pills, respectively.

This community-informed research identifies the immediate accessibility needs of this population and proposes strategies to increase community engagement among seniors, address loneliness and social isolation, and expand access to a variety of social and health services. The findings will be used more broadly to inform policy, community resources, and service programs and providers to increase accessibility, affirmation, and support of 2SLGBTQI+ older adults and seniors.

A close-up of a disco ball in a dim room, throwing multicoloured pin spots of light on the walls.

A photograph of one colourful panel of the Canadian AIDS Quilt, on display in Fredericton in 2025. The panel includes seven unique smaller quilts, including memorial quilts and an Indigenous medicine wheel.

A photo of the interior of a dimly lit stone cathedral with warm lights and large arched window with colourful stained glass patterns.

Dr. Amelia Thorpe is the Purdy Crawford/TD Bank Postdoctoral Fellow in Accessibility in the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. The Aging Rainbow is a postdoctoral project and is overseen by Dr. Celeste E. Orr. This project has been reviewed by the Research Ethics Board of the University of New Brunswick and is on file as REB 2025-092. Please use the contact form provided if you have any inquiries or wish to reach Dr. Thorpe. Learn more about Dr. Thorpe’s research at MadQueer.com