By Colleen Scott, NYSOFA Advocacy Specialist
For many years, the community which identifies as LGBTQ+ has encountered both overt and hidden discrimination. It was only 9 years ago, in 2015, that the U.S. Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage as legal in all 50 states. It was only four years ago, in 2020, that the U.S. Supreme Court found that firing individuals because of their sexual orientation or transgender status violates Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination because of sex. Disparities and discrimination still exist for individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, gender non-binary, etc.
Contributions
- The rainbow LGBT flag was designed by Gilbert Baker, an American artist, gay rights activist, and U.S. Army veteran, in 1978.
- Bayard Rustin was an LGBTQ and civil rights activist best known for being a key adviser to Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. He organized the 1963 March on Washington and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2013 for his activism.
- America's first female astronaut, the first woman in space, and space shuttle robotic arm operator, Sally Ride helped pave the way for women in STEM; it should be noted she only publicly came out posthumously, and subtly, in her obituary.
- Alan Turing, a British mathematician, enabled the Allies to defeat Adolf Hitler in World War II by breaking the code for the Nazi Enigma Machine. Sadly, the British government arrested him in 1952 for the "crime" of homosexuality. Soon after being chemically castrated by order of a British court as punishment for being gay, Turing died by suicide, ingesting cyanide in 1954.
Disparities
- Additionally, nearly 3 in 5 LGBTQI+ adults reported that discrimination had a moderate or significant impact on their mental well-being in the past year.
- According to the National Institute of Health, approximately 26 percent of adults ages 65 and older in the U.S. live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In contrast, nearly a third of LGBT older adults (ages 50 and older) lived at or below that economic threshold.
Resources
- Read NYSOFA’s LGBTQ+ Resource Guide For Older Adults and Aging Services Networks. The guide provides background on the unique service needs of LGBTQ+ older adults, along with a comprehensive statewide directory of over 200 organizations who specialize in LGBTQ+-inclusive services. This statewide resource is designed for older adults and the providers who serve them. It identifies trusted organizations that provide a range of services and supports, from nutrition to legal advocacy, home and community-based care, long term care, health services, social supports, and so much more.
- SAGE USA is a national advocacy and services organization that’s been looking out for LGBT elders since 1978. 877-360-LGBT.
- The National Resource Center on Aging is the country's first and only technical assistance resource center focused on improving the quality of services and supports offered to lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender older adults, their families and caregivers.
- Dignity 2022: The Experience of LGBTQ Older Adults increases our understanding of the lived experience of older LGBTQ adults in the areas of relationships, caregiving, home and community, health care, financial security, and their concerns around supportive aging and potential discrimination based on LGBTQ identity, age, and disability.
