The LGBTQ+ seniors of today were largely in their teens and twenties in June 1969 when the Stonewall riots occurred. We are the first Out Generation to grow old.
As we in the first Out Generation have reached our senior years, four issues have clearly emerged — social isolation, HIV and aging, culturally competent health care, and affirming communities and affordable housing.
We are indebted to the March 2018 AARP report “Maintaining Dignity — Understanding and Responding to the Challenges Facing Older LGBTQ+ Americans.” That study found that LGBTQ+ seniors are disproportionately likely to face their senior years single, living alone and without the support of children or extended family.
Issues of social isolation and culturally competent health care are significantly lessened in places such as Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley and major metropolitan cities with significant LGBTQ+ populations. The AARP survey found that over 80% of LGBTQ+ seniors have found very or somewhat LGBTQ+-friendly communities to live in. Yet those LGBTQ+ communities are among the most costly to live in.
Some of the most heart-rendering conversations I have had as a Palm Springs City Councilmember have been with those living in Palm Springs on limited incomes and frightened that their cost of living could force them to move back to the non-LGBTQ+-supportive communities they left 30 to 50 years ago.
Some 76% of LGBTQ+ seniors report being concerned about having adequate family and/or social support to rely on as they age. It is why places such as Palm Springs are so important and why it is so critical that health care professionals understand the extended family and chosen family networks of the LGBTQ+ seniors.
The first LGBTQ+ and Aging Seminar in Palm Springs is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19, 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m., at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Thanks to the generosity of Eisenhower Medical Center Admission is free. No registration is required and American Sign Language (ASL) will be provided. The event is possible due to the cooperation of SAGE, Eisenhower Medical Center, the LGBTQ+ Center of the Desert, Desert AIDS Project and the Mizell Senior Center.
We’ll have a dynamic set of panels to address each of the issues of social isolation, HIV and aging, culturally competent health care and affirming communities and affordable housing.
Lastly, we’ll explore the state of the law for LGBTQ+ seniors. No one hopes to end up in a nursing home; but imagine having to choose between going back into the closet or receiving the nursing-home care you need. It is the conflict Marsha Wetzel in Niles, Illinois, faced when her partner, Judith Kahn, died. It is an issue faced by most LGBTQ+ Americans as but a few states have followed California’s example and passed an LGBTQ+ Seniors Bill of Rights.
Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz will attend as the congressional schedule permits. This event was inspired by a conversation with Congressman Ruiz on the importance of extending this conversation within the LGBTQ+ community to all.
Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a friend and ally or someone interested in senior issues, there will be something for you to learn from and engage with. All of us want to grow old with dignity, with friends and family.
This article originally appeared in Desert Sun on December 14, 2019.
