Advocating with and on behalf of our community
SAGE stands proudly with the LGBTQ+ pioneers across the country who’ve been fighting for decades for their right to live with dignity and respect.
We are excited to work with the current administration and key staff in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, plus our nationwide network of affiliates, to advocate for LGBTQ+ older people at the federal, state, and local levels. We:
- Mobilize LGBTQ+ people and allies when our rights are at stake
- Educate policy makers about LGBTQ+ aging issues
- Release original policy briefs, publications, and infographics
- Lead coalitions that integrate diverse elders into policy conversations
- March and rally with LGBTQ+ older people and our allies
Partnering to improve aging for LGBTQ+ people
Policies and partnerships
SAGE is part of numerous partnerships and coalitions that help advance our policy priorities for LGBTQ+ older people. We are the only LGBTQ+ organization on the influential Leadership Council of Aging Organizations; a founding member of the Diverse Elders Coalition; the lead organization on the National LGBTQ+ Aging Roundtable; and a member of the New Beginning Initiative, led by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for LGBTQ+ Health.
Additionally, our partnerships with groups such as the National Academy on an Aging Society, the Movement Advancement Project, the Center for American Progress, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the International Federation for Ageing, and the Williams Institute, among others, have helped us produce critical policy reports and conferences on LGBTQ+ aging issues.
Equality Never Gets OldSM
Equality Never Gets Old
From SAGE’s 40+ years of experience in serving LGBTQ+ older people and engaging in advocacy on LGBTQ+ aging issues, we know first-hand that social isolation, poverty, and a lack of access to affordable and welcoming housing are major challenges as we age. Most older people experience at least some of these issues, but they are compounded for LGBTQ+ elders due to lifetimes of facing stigma and discrimination, harassment, a lack of access to culturally competent service providers, and thin support networks.
Since 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has sought to help older people live independently in their chosen communities for as long as possible and to prevent people from entering unwanted and cost-prohibitive institutional care. It supports a wide array of services, like transportation and legal assistance, help with enrolling in benefits, congregate and home-delivered meals, community centers, job training, preventing elder abuse, and much more.
But for too long, federal programs like the OAA have felt inaccessible to our communities—people don’t know what programs they fund, who’s eligible, and even how our community is going to be treated when people walk in the door.
SAGE wants to end that—and create a world where LGBTQ+ older people and people aging with HIV can age how and where they want, with the resources, support, and programs they need to thrive.
We’re ready to serve as your resource on LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV and the OAA. Join us for storytelling coaching, policy education, training for providers, and calls to action at key moments.
SAGE’s advocacy impact
Highlighting the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising,
LGBTQ+ elders and older people living with HIV convened for SAGE’s first-ever National Day of Advocacy.
LGBTQ+ elders and older people living with HIV convened for SAGE’s first-ever National Day of Advocacy.
120
LGBTQ+ ELDERS, ALLIES AND ACTIVISTS
75
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR STAFFS
35K+
PEOPLE MOBILIZED ACROSS THE U.S.
Advocate with us where you live
Learn what SAGE is doing to fight for equality in your community and how you can get involved.
Partnering for LGBTQ+ older people
Our message of treating LGBTQ+ elders with the dignity and respect they deserve is amplified and strengthened by our partnerships and coalitions.
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As a founding member of the Diverse Elders Coalition, SAGE has uplifted and championed older LGBT peoples’ needs within the aging advocacy space. SAGE is steadfast in calling on all communities to affirm and represent their LGBT members.
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“I became an activist in my early forties, when I first came out. And over the years, as I’ve associated with SAGE, I’ve realized—and SAGE realizes—that there can be nothing about us without us.”
