A safe, gay refuge for retirement
By CATHERINE TREVISON, The Oregonian Staff, Friday March 14, 2008
Seniors experience bias from their age group, yet a rare, gay-friendly retirement home is underused
Rainbow Vista, 10 months old, has just two tenants, both straight. They are holdovers from the era when the building was marketed to the mainstream as Autumn Park. So far, "there hasn't been the interest and demand I expected . . . I don't really care," said Rainbow Vista owner Henry Moshberger, 65, adding that he'll persist. "This is where I'm living. . . . Basically, I bought a retirement home for myself and all my friends."

  Chicago Launches Elder Initiative
By Amy Wooten, Windy City Group, Chicago, 2008-03-05
The Chicago Elder Services Community Initiative, a collaborative project aimed to reach about 1,500 LGBT seniors during its pilot year, is a partnership between Howard Brown, Council for Jewish Elderly-Senior Life, Heartland Alliance, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter and Rush University Medical Center. Its goal is to build and sustain comprehensive programs that will address the needs of local LGBT seniors.

The project will provide a broad range of much-needed services such as medical care, mental healthcare, drop-in services, an in-home visitation program, peer-to-peer support and more. The project strives to be a model of providing “one-stop-shop” services to LGBT seniors.

  Massachusetts Groups Reach Out to Gay and Lesbian Elderly Population
By Cathryn Domrose, Nurse.com. Monday March 10, 2008
Even in Massachusetts, which is considered a beacon of tolerance and diversity for many LGBT Americans, the older members of this group remain in the shadows, as in the rest of the country. Many fear going into assisted-living or skilled nursing facilities, or getting home health care, say those who work in agencies serving gay and lesbian elders. They retreat into the closet rather than face scornful remarks of fellow residents or possible discrimination from caregivers.

But a growing number, led by aging gay and lesbian baby boomers, are starting to assert themselves. They are familiar with anti-discrimination laws and are not afraid to make sure those laws are enforced. They are looking for retirement complexes, assisted-living facilities, and skilled nursing facilities that not only tolerate them, but welcome them.

  A Place to Live LGBT Documentary - Request for Assistance
Los Angeles, 03/04/2008
The explosive growth in [the U.S.] aging population coupled with the recent housing market crash has set the stage for a major crisis. Until now, no one has addressed how this issue is impacting gay and lesbian seniors, individuals who have long been denied fundamental human rights and often struggle to make ends meet. Join us in the creation of A Place to Live, a historic documentary that will chronicle the journey of seven brave individuals as they attempt to secure a home in Triangle Square, the nation’s first affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors. Your financial contribution is critical to help us complete the film and ensure that their story is told. To see the promo video, click here

  Surprise development aims at gay retirees
by Tony Lombardo The Arizona Republic Mar. 8, 2008
Like a lot of baby boomers, gay and lesbian retirees are looking for a safe, fun place to live out their autumn years. But Arizona's retirement offerings might not cut it for many, because of a lack of like-minded residents or a fear of coming out to the neighbors. Out Properties LLC, a St. Louis development firm, hopes to change that by marketing a unique lifestyle to this niche group it calls "gayby boomers," or gay baby boomers. It plans to build a resort community, Marigold Creek, in Surprise, Arizona catering to gay retirees.

  The Perils of Aging While Gay
by Tomas Guerra, special to 365gay.com
When Gayle had a stroke one Sunday evening nine years ago, she was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center's emergency room, Minnesota's third largest hospital. But when Gayle (a senior trans woman) got there, she was told that in order to receive treatment, she would have to re-assume her old identity: She had to become Glen if she wanted to be helped. Gayle did not protest. She wanted her life to be saved. But when she was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital for follow-up care, she was forced to do the same: she was told she'd be Glen for every medical provider who worked there.

More recently, an openly gay man who had no family or friends hanged himself in a room of a nursing home in an East Coast city; because others on his floor were made uncomfortable by his sexual orientation, the 79-year-old had been moved to a floor for patients with disabilities and dementia. The resulting stress made him too depressed to live.

  Demand for Gay Retirement Communities on the Rise
Southwest. St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) March 3, 2008
According to reports by the US Census Bureau, there are an estimated three million gay and lesbian seniors currently living in the United States. Figures from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force indicate that this number is expected to more than double over the next 25 years as the "gayby boom" generation fully transitions into retirement. Because many gay seniors find traditional retirement communities unprepared or unwilling to meet the needs of GLBT residents, the demand for gay retirement communities is stronger than ever.

  Leading National Conference on Aging to Feature Sessions on Needs of LGBT Older Adults
Nationalgaynews.com, Wednesday, 20 February 2008 17:38
The 2008 Aging in America Conference sponsored by the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging will include an array of sessions addressing the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people ages 50-plus. Aging in America is the largest annual multidisciplinary conference in the United States for professionals who work with older adults; this year, the event will take place in Washington, D.C., March 26-30.

  Imperial War Museum appeals for LGBT experiences
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer, 19th February 2008
An exhibition focusing on how war and conflict have shaped people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities' lives from 1945 to the present day will open later this year at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, UK. The Imperial War Museum is the national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914.

Organisers want to hear from LGBT people who have served or who are serving in the Armed Forces and can share their experiences, which will form part of the final display.

  A community for aging suburban gays on Long Island
By Saul Friedman | Gray Matters, February 1, 2008
Like thousands of gays, lesbians and transgender older adults, KL, who is still grieving her loss, is facing one of the costs of sexual liberation. Now that they've emerged from the dubious security of the closet, many without their families, who is to care for them as they age? To whom do they turn for counseling and comfort?One important answer is a new organization, SAGE-LI, for Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders on Long Island, which opened a center in Bay Shore last October to see to the needs of this growing population -- which despite its size has been invisible.

  Frisky fifties put sexual health at risk
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, Daily Teelgraph UK 31/01/2008
Sexually active middle-aged people are putting themselves at risk of infections, a Saga survey has revealed. The study found that one in 10 sexually active over-fifties did not use a form of contraception which would help stop them catching sexually transmitted infections, and did not know about their partner's sexual history.

  Gay Nursing Home Opens in Berlin
by 365Gay.com, January 17, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET (Berlin)
The first assisted care home for gays and lesbians in Europe opened this week in Berlin. The new four-storey building provides 28 patient rooms, nursing and geriatric medical care and food services. It will form the nucleus of a planned $10-million old-age complex for the gay community that will include a separate seniors apartment building, recreational center and medical facility. The plan has the support of openly gay Mayor Klaus Wowereit. It is funded by both public and private money.

  Development For SF Gay Seniors
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff Posted: January 17, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET (San Francisco, California) 2008
The post war baby boom is reaching retirement age and for many who are low or moderate income the future looks bleak. On limited social security they may not have the income to remain in their homes. In San Francisco with its large LGBT population the situation for limited income gays could be eased with an innovate project that brings together business, non-profit and government organizations. The group announced plans for a non-profit housing facility that would welcome elder gays.

  Grandpa-de-deux prepares for his ballet debut
Daily Telegraph, London, Jan 12, 2008
John Lowe waited until he was 79 before he took up dancing. Now at the aged of 88 he feels he is ready to star in his first ballet production..

  AIDS Patients Face Downside of Living Longer
By Jane Gross,January 6, 2008 CHICAGO, NY Times
John Holloway, 59, survived AIDS but now has more health problems than his 84-year-old father. Yet at 59 he is alive, thanks to a cocktail of drugs that changed the course of an epidemic. But with longevity has come a host of unexpected medical conditions, which challenge the prevailing view of AIDS as a manageable, chronic disease.

  Who knew? Alcohol makes males amorous & gay
From: AAP January 03, 2008
Researchers in the US say alcohol makes males more amorous and less sexually inhibited - and gay, apparently. The research, led by Penn State University neuroscientist Dr Kyung-An Han and published in the journal PLoS ONE, looked at the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on fruit flies. The fruit flies were given a daily dose of ethanol to closely mimic the drinking habits of alcoholics and chronic alcohol abusers. They found that male fruit flies, which typically court females, also actively courted males.

  Gay Seniors Depend On Social Networks When Ill
By 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, January 2, 2008 (New York City)
Older gay, lesbian and bisexual adults have "a history of caregiving" that creates networks of people who support each other during their senior years, according to a new study. The study of 199 LGB seniors found that more than two-thirds of the participants had provided care to one or more people during the previous five years.

  Legal Hot Line for Elderly Gays Honored
By: Todd A. Heywood, Michigan Messanger, Thursday (12/20)
Elder Law of Lansing had an idea last year. The not-for-profit legal clinic -- begun in 1990 to assist seniors with legal questions ranging from probate issues to Medicaid -- noticed that a lot of gay seniors were reluctant to address their issues on the group's traditional legal hot line. So the group started an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) hot line. "We were expecting about 100 calls," Executive Director Kate White said. Instead, the new hot line, with very little advertising, took 226 calls. White said she was "gratified" the group was there to assist. As a result, the group has been honored with a $5,000 HOPE Fund grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

  The Senior Situation
By Bryan Ochalla (GayWired.com) Dec 12, 2007
Spending your life as an advocate for gay rights only to be forced back into the closet by your living situation? That's the dilemma facing many of the reported 2.9 million LGBT people over the age of 55 in the U.S. today. Those in senior housing aren't getting the attention and care they deserve. Find out why, and what you can do to make a change for the better in part one of our senior care series!

  Last call: Why the gay bars of Boston are disappearing
By Robert David Sullivan, Boston Globe, December 2, 2007
Up to 1994, there were 16 gay bars in Boston and Cambridge, according to the Boston Pink Pages directories. Today, that number has been cut to less than half. The gay population may have political clout and the right to marry in Massachusetts, but it has fewer and fewer public spaces to call its own..

  Gay man faces loss of possions to pay for partners care
By Laura Kiritsy,Tuesday Nov 20, 2007
Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, including dementia, Alexandre Rheume was placed in a Dedham nursing home following a bad accident at home. His partner of 37 years, Lawrence Johnson, is not recognized as a spouse by MassHealth and so the agency is seizing all of the couple’s jointly held assets to pay for Rheume’s care. MassHealth is a federally funded program and under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the health plan does not recognize same-sex relationships for eligibility purposes. That means that the couple’s joint assets - things like bank accounts, CDs, stocks, mutual funds, even the couple’s home - are considered fair game.

  Out Traveler names Fort Lauderdale top gay resort for 2007
The Advocate, Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:00 am (PST)
Bolstering its reputation as a top destination for gay travelers, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been named Favorite Gay Resort Town in the 2007 Out Traveler Readers' Choice Awards in the November 2007 issue. In addition, one of Fort Lauderdale's 30-plus gay guesthouses also took home individual gold honors: Royal Palms Resort was chosen as the Favorite Gay Resort/Guesthouse.