April 17, 2013

SAGE Releases New Policy Report on the Health Disparities Faced by LGBT Elders of Color

Released during National Minority Health Month, Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color explores 10 policy areas where health and wellness can be improved for LGBT older people of color.

Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) today released Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color, a new report that examines health disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older people of color, and offers policy solutions in 10 areas to address these challenges. The report’s release coincides with National Minority Health Month, an initiative of the federal Office of Minority Health to raise awareness about health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities—among them a rapidly growing population of LGBT elders of color who are often underserved and largely rendered invisibly in public policy discussions.

“SAGE is proud to release the new policy report Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color during National Minority Health Month,” said Michael Adams, SAGE Executive Director. “As a national organization working with constituents who are both LGBT identified and older adults, we understand that individuals and communities have unique needs because of the intersections of identities. LGBT elders of color are historically marginalized on multiple fronts and their needs are often under addressed in the mainstream aging field and in the popular LGBT rights movement. This groundbreaking report sheds light on the health disparities of LGBT elders of color and how to address them.”

The need to implement policy solutions to the health challenges facing LGBT elders of color is growing more urgent as the U.S. becomes increasingly older and more diverse. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are more than 40 million adults aged 65 and older in the U.S., a population that will more than double over the next four decades. By 2050, Latino, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaska Native people will comprise more than 40 percent of this elder population, and the number of LGBT elders will more than double in size to roughly 3 million, based on conservative estimates.

The report explores 10 policy areas where health and wellness can be improved for LGBT older people of color, including: