There are at least 1.5 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors in the U.S., a population expected to more than double by 2030, according to recent findings by the Department of Health and Human Services. As the 65 and older population grows, many LGBT seniors will face discrimination based on their age and sexual orientation.

In an effort to better understand this population, in 2010 the Administration on Aging provided funding to SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) to create the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging (NRC). It is the nation’s first national technical assistance resource center focused on the health and social disparities of LGBT seniors.

“One of the biggest issues is that LGBT older adults do not feel comfortable or safe in certain environments,” said Christina DaCosta, online media manager for SAGE. “We at SAGE and the NRC are working to create a shift in attitude via our training efforts, local and national advocacy.” A network of SAGE affiliates has been created across the country to serve LGBT seniors at the state and local level.

According to a 2010 report co-authored by SAGE and the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), LGBT seniors may face an array of unique barriers and inequalities standing in the way of a healthy and rewarding later life. The report identified three major challenges: the effects of social stigma and prejudice; a strong reliance on informal “families of choice” for social connections and care; and unequal treatment under laws, programs and services.

Historical and current prejudice against today’s LGBT seniors has “disrupted their lives, their connections to their families of origin, their chance to have and raise children, and their opportunities to earn a living and save for retirement,” according to Improving The Lives of LGBT Older Adults. Many still remember their sexual orientation being labeled as a “psychiatric disorder” or “immoral.” And nearly one-third of gay and lesbian baby boomers identify discrimination from caregivers and health service providers as their greatest concern about aging.

About 80 percent of long-term care provided to U.S. seniors is provided by family members, but LGBT seniors are half as likely as heterosexual seniors to have close relatives they can call for help– many are estranged from their biological families. They are also about twice as likely to be single, and about three times more likely to be childless. Therefore, many have come to rely on a close network of friends and community members, despite the many laws and institutional regulations that prioritize biological, legal and traditional families; in many instances, such regulations deny resources and support to same-sex partners, “families of choice” and other caregivers.

“Even as our country moves closer to insisting on fair treatment and full opportunity for all of our people, the effects of long-standing discrimination against the LGBT community remind us of how far we still have to go,” wrote AARP Chief Operating Officer Tom Nelson.

A similar 2011 study published by the University of Washington’s School of Social Work also determined LGBT seniors are more likely to face loneliness and distress than others. Researchers surveyed about 2,500 LGBT adults ages 50 to 95 from across the U.S.

“The higher rates of aging and health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults is a major concern for public health,” lead author Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen told a health newswire. “The health disparities reflect the historical and social context of their lives, and the serious adversity they have encountered can jeopardize their health and willingness to seek services in old age.” More than 20 percent of respondents did not disclose their sexual or gender identity to their primary care physician.

“The LGBT community has stepped up in the past to address coming out, AIDS, and civil rights. The next wave has to be aging,” said a 63-year-old man who participated in the study.