BY: DM
Published 3 months ago
They changed the world in loud, unassuming ways, often before most of us were even born. In case you didn’t know, May 16 is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day. A time to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender seniors who built the LGBTQIA+ movement. With Pride Month around the corner, the day “allows us to remember and recognize those who have come before us,” observers note.
These are the survivors of a long struggle. As Pride Center co-founder Silas White emphasizes, “our elders are quite literally living pieces of history.” Now, there is a day to celebrate these folks and their commitment to the advancement of the LGBTQIA+ community.
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is for the “old gays.”
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day has deep roots in Baltimore, MD. Chase Brexton Health Services officially founded the observance in 2015, holding its first Elders Day in 2016 with a photography exhibit of transgender seniors. In 2016, the Center added the celebration to the National Day Registry, and the holiday has since gone national. By 2018, a U.S. House resolution was introduced to support it, and even celebrities took notice — actress Lily Tomlin gave a social-media shout-out that year, helping broaden awareness.
Sam McClure of Baltimore’s LGBTQ Health Center, who helped inaugurate the day, says, “More than ever, we need to recognize the importance of our LGBT elders and learn from their experience.”
He continued: “Despite their often differing opinions, elders and youth have much to learn from each other in these difficult times. By spotlighting our LGBTQIA+ Elders, we encourage these intergenerational dialogues as we honor and learn from our Elders’ examples of resilience and strength.”
Many LGBTQIA+ seniors fought the Civil Rights–era battles and organized rallies and marches when doing so was dangerous. They continue to face challenges, as a House report reminds us that there are higher rates of depression, substance use, and abuse among LGBTQIA+ elders.
Seniors make up a significant part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Honoring LGBTQIA+ elders matters because of what the data (and history) show. An estimated 2.7 million Americans aged 50 and older now identify as LGBTQIA+, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies. This includes roughly 1.1 million seniors who are over the age of 65. Yet many of these elders still lack basic support. The Movement Advancement Project notes that LGBTQIA+ seniors are more likely than their peers to live alone, be single and have no children, “relying on friends and community members as their chosen family.”
To help spread love to queer seniors, folks are encouraged to connect with and hold space for elders in their community. On social media, people can also share brief videos and posts about an elder who changed their lives, using #LGBTEldersDay.
In Baltimore, the Center for LGBTQ Health Equity and the ElderPride Council will host a gathering at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The event includes an opening reception, a locally sourced sit-down dinner, and various tributes from LGBTQIA+ community storytellers.
Today’s queer youth can learn a ton by listening to the generation that championed for marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, HIV/AIDS research, and other hard-won victories. LGBTQIA+ elders literally fought for many of the rights younger generations enjoy.
What’s something you’ve learned from an older LGBTQIA+ person that stuck with you? Comment below!
