Mary, an elderly lesbian, saw her health decline as she reached her mid-80s. So, after many years living as a highly independent and out lesbian, she had to rely on a home healthcare attendant so she could continue living at home. But it turned out that the home care attendant assigned to Mary was deeply homophobic. She was afraid of losing the care attendant - the key to her ability to continue living at home - so Mary asked a SAGE social worker to come to her apartment to take down and store away all her photos and mementoes that revealed who she is.

Stories like this are all too common, and people like Mary were featured in a recent front-page story in the New York Times about the plight of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered seniors. The article was vivid and compelling - difficult to read yet all too true for many LGBT older people. We at Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE) are heartened by the recent mainstream media attention to LGBT seniors - but an equally important issue is whether or not the LGBT community itself is finally ready to shine a spotlight on the concerns of our older generations.

The reality is that, as Baby Boomers start to enter their senior years, America is quickly "graying." The number of seniors in the United States is growing exponentially, with no end in sight. Not surprisingly, our community is getting older just as fast as the rest of the nation. Too often, however, mainstream depictions of LGBT people still focus disproportionately on us as though we never advanced beyond a certain age. And our own community frequently has been more than willing to play along.

Fortunately, there are signs this is changing. Over the last year or two there has been a spate of articles focusing on LGBT retirement communities popping up in a handful of places around the country. The novelty of this new senior housing option seems to have captured the attention of some in the media, who have used the emerging communities to start exploring what it means to be LGBT and older. It is also promising that, according to the Times website, the recent front-page story on LGBT elder issues was the second most emailed article that day.

It also generated lots of reader commentary at nytimes.com - the vast bulk reflecting the kind of outrage and concern that one would hope (but not necessarily expect) from mainstream audiences in the face of the harsh realities faced by many LGBT older people. And there is talk that the ice may be broken - at least at the Times - with more coverage perhaps in the offing. So we might be breaking new ground when it comes to mainstream media attention to LGBT aging issues.

But what about in the LGBT community itself? As the oldest and largest organization in the country serving and advocating for LGBT older people, SAGE recognizes that our own community - including LGBT media - has a long way to go. The concerns of LGBT seniors are rarely acknowledged or addressed in any meaningful way in our magazines, newspapers, or online resources.

We often celebrate - and every day benefit from - historical moments like the Stonewall uprising and other famous moments of courageous activism. Yet, we too often forget that those famous moments occurred because of brave people, people who are now getting old and now need and deserve our respect and support.

We have every right to push for mainstream attention to the needs of our community's seniors. But we can hardly expect our straight brothers and sisters to do more than we are willing to do ourselves.

So SAGE, and the growing number of friends and supporters of our community's pioneers, will continue to push for more mainstream attention to the needs of LGBT seniors. But, we also appeal to the LGBT community to make sure that we - all of us - are equally committed to ensuring that the generation that brought us Stonewall gets into our own community's spotlight.

Let's set the example that we want the rest of the world to follow.