In an effort to set up their retirement in a safe environment, some gay seniors have invested in retirement communities catering to gays. But, in these difficult economic times, some of these communities have not succeeded in delivering their promised housing and services. Click here to read an informative NY Times article.
The challenges facing gay seniors, like all seniors, include much more than housing, but blogger Tommi Avicolli Mecca notes that important issues such as proposed cuts to Social Security and other much-needed benefits are usually considered low priorities by LGBT organizations who are focused on promoting marriage equality. He states, “I came out at a time when gay sex was illegal, gaybashing was an honorable sport, discrimination was seen as reasonable and right, and being queer was the absolute worst thing you could possibly admit to. Yet getting old is the scariest thing I’ve faced in my life.”
