In particular, older homosexuals who grew up when homosexuality was either a crime or a psychiatric diagnosis are even less likely to admit that they are homosexual.

As a result, Frisch and critics have argued that the researchers’ conclusion that homosexuals die younger because fewer people over the age of 60 reported that they are gay is flawed. Instead, the epidemiologist said the report rather reveals that younger people tend to be more open about their homosexuality moreso than life expectancies in gays and non-gays.

Instead, it is far more likely that younger people sought out this option while older couples, probably already had legal protections in place and didn’t bother. (This, again, assumes that the older population was even in relationships as frequently as the younger crowd, which is a dubious assumption). Since, then, it seems reasonable to assume the age of those partnered skewed young, then the age of those who died while partnered would skewer young as well.