I'm on a Canadian mailing list..some of you might be interested in this. Is this not the wave of our future?

Question

Gay Seniors Canada mailing list]

Lavenders Looking Out for Gay Seniors

Despite their name, San Leandro’s Lavender Seniors aren’t a group
of
gray-haired ladies who lunch or get together to have a knitting circle.

Rather, they are an activist group whose mission is to improve the
quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
people
over the age of 55.

Both a political group and social organization, the Lavender Seniors
were formed over a decade ago when a group of gay seniors organized to
lobby in local government for representation.

Meeting in restaurants, the senior group quickly grew from a handful of
members to several hundred. They meet a couple of times a month
throughout Alameda County, giving voice to a segment of the population
that many people forget exists.

“I was recently at a conference and someone said to me, ‘Oh, I
never
really thought about gay people being old.’ It’s like, did you
think we
disappeared?” said Lavender Seniors care coordinator Pat Cull with a
laugh.

“As the baby boomer generation gets older, we’re seeing a lot of
LGBT
seniors with failing health with no family, some people lose their
homes
when their partner dies,” said Cull. “People are forgetting about
this
part of the population and we’re giving it a voice.”

Cull is especially passionate about the group’s Friendly Visitor
program
that pairs homebound elderly LGBT individuals with sympathetic
volunteers.

“A lot of people from this generation never came out of the
closet,”
said Cull. “And even if they did, sometimes they go back in the
closet
because they’ve become dependent on other people for care.”

The Friendly Visitor volunteer helps these seniors with everything from
doctor’s visits to grocery shopping, or they may just visit and talk.

Despite living in the traditionally liberal-minded Bay Area, Cull says
that LGBT seniors still face discrimination on a daily basis.

“Even in Berkeley, we’ve had our rainbow flags stolen, our posters
ripped down. People are still afraid to come out,” she said. “When
you
live in the closet, you depend on a small group of friends.

And when you get older, that group of friends starts to die out. These
people are alone and that makes them sad, nervous, and afraid and
that’s
no way to live.”

Friendly Visitor is just one of the Lavender Seniors many ongoing
social
programs. The group also holds informational meetings on health-care
options, potluck dinners, and fun activities.

All are welcome to the group’s next regular meeting, at 7 p.m.. on
July
11. For more information on the meeting and about the Lavender Seniors,
call 667-9655 or visit www.lavenderseniors.org.

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Answer 1

This is just wonderful! Thank you for telling us about this!

- edit -
I was just looking through the links and liked the looks of the legal document one:
http://www.rainbowlaw.com/

Answer 2

My mother is a 71 year old lesbian who lost her partner (the breadwinner) a few years ago. The quality of her financial life has deteriorated. She was not eligible for social security benefits, even though they were joined in a civil union and together for over 30 years. There was one small life insurance policy that paid a lump sum that my mother is living on, combined with her own social security.

It's about time people are aware of this type of situation and it makes me feel better to hope that in the near future this "problem" will be an issue for the history books.

Answer 3

um..do you actual think of Canadians care what the individuals think of. We did no longer pick Bush two times now did we.. ;) Moosehead beer. in ordinary terms in Canada eh? ;) Edit: Oh boy, shoulda usual. I easily have MANY American friends who I appreciate very lots. i do no longer 'hate' nor 'dislike' my American cousins..and that i savor it whilst a buddy tries to get my goat. ;)

Answer 4

All of us queer baby boomers have got to have someone to turn to for getting our lives in order as we begin to pass into senior status.

I may be approaching retirement, but that doesn't mean I'll become a retiring old queen!

Answer 5

Weird,strange world.Count me out,I belong to mailing list of God.