Hopefully, There Comes A Time When…

We all have to think about our senior years where will we be living?

Transgender adults are worried about finding welcoming spaces to live in their later years
AP News
By Andrew DeMillo, Lynne Slandky and Laura Bargfeld
August 24, 2023

Rajee Narinesingh faced struggles throughout her life as a transgender woman, from workplace discrimination to the lasting effects of black market injections that scarred her face and caused chronic infections.

In spite of the roadblocks, the 56-year-old Florida actress and activist has seen growing acceptance since she first came out decades ago.

“If you see older transgender people, it shows the younger community that it’s possible I can have a life. I can live to an older age,” she said. “So I think that’s a very important thing.”

Now, as a wave of new state laws enacted this year limit transgender people’s rights, Narinesingh has new uncertainty about her own future as she ages.

“Every now and then I have like this thought, like, oh my God, if I end up in a nursing home, how are they going to treat me?” Narinesingh said.

I can imagine the fears of living in a Republican state… it must be horrible!

For many transgender seniors, it’s brought new fears to their plans for retirement and old age. They already face gaps in health care and nursing home facilities properly trained to meet their needs. That’s likely to be compounded by restrictions to transgender health care that have already blocked some adults’ access to treatments in Florida, and sparked concerns the laws will expand to other states.

Here in Connecticut state agencies are actively working to make the state a safe affirming state for older LGBTQ+ seniors. Pride centers around the state have programs for LGBTQ+ seniors and senior living centers and senior centers have been advised of their responsibilities under the law.

“I have friends that have retired and they’ve decided to move to retirement communities. And then, little by little, they’ve found that they’re not welcome there,” said Morgan Mayfaire, a transgender man and the executive director of TransSOCIAL, a Florida support and advocacy group.

Discrimination can range from being denied housing to being misgendered and struggling to get nursing homes to acknowledge their visitation rights.

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“Do you really want to be moving into a place where you have to explain yourself and have to go through it over and over?” Vincent said. “It’s exhausting, and so I think being able to be in a comfortable environment is important.”

But there are other problems not covered by the law here in Connecticut and that is being the only trans person in the senior living center. I know one trans person who was the only trans person in a 500 person in a 55+ living center and I don’t know what we can do about that. We don't have the population density to support a LGBTQ+ senior living center like New York City has.

A handful of states, including Massachusetts and California, have in recent years enacted laws to ensure that LGBTQ+ seniors have equal access to programs for aging populations and requiring training on how to serve that community.

We have been working with state and private agencies to educate them but the work has dwindled off as people have retired and I am worried no one has picked up the ball.