One Of My Pet Peeves Is...

LGBT.

Hun?

Well that this excellent article that was on PBS News Hour but...

Britta Larson and Nikki Moustafa

LGBTQ Senior Care

Older LGBTQ adults face a number of challenges, especially when it comes to finding housing and care. SAGE, a national advocacy leader in this space, created a system of training programs for care providers. H.O.M.E. housing director Nikki Moustafa and SAGEcare trainer Britta Larson highlight how the training has improved their abilities to support residents.

But it has one major flaw! It is so major that even an AI spotted it when I asked the AI... Look at this article through trans lens.

It replied... there is nothing about transgender people in the article... BINGO!

Britta Larson, SAGECare Trainer: Sadly, approximately 70 percent of LGBTQ older adults go back in the closet when they enter a skilled nursing facility. And that statistic makes me so sad, because it’s no quality of life to be hiding who you are, to not be your authentic self, to basically be forced to live a lie.

Um... what about trans people? It is nice that they can go back into the closet, but that would mean we would have to detransition! Unacceptable! Of the 30% of those who don't go back in the closet, how many of them are trans?

They are SAGECare credentialed. That means that they put an emphasis on making sure all of their programs and services are inclusive and welcoming for LGBTQ older adults.

Um...how many trans people do you have teaching it!

Britta Larson: LGBTQ older adults really did pave the way for many of us today in terms of our rights in this country. But they shouldn’t have to feel like they need to continue to fight for their rights and be activists as they’re aging. And we are all aging, so we will all be there someday.

And who lead the way back then? Gee it was trans people, people of color, flaming gays and butch lesbians who couldn't assimilate in to society! We were the outcast who refused to fit in to the "norm"

We were the ones at Black Cat Tavern in '67! We were the ones in 66' at the Compton’s Cafeteria Uprising! And we were the ones who were at the Dewey’s Lunch Counter Sit-In in '65!

This gap points out the importance of having diversity to bring in all view points. Nothing against SAGE but how many of their trainers are trans. When I was at their headquarters a number of years ago they had a diverse crew there... but I didn't see any trans people in the office.

I'm a trouble maker... people who know me know that whenever I can bring up the facts that A: you should include trans people in the organization, and B: you should also have seniors on your board.

I don't know how many time I stuck with attending the meetings because I was the only trans person sitting there at the table. On the Governor's Advisory Council on Hate Crimes, I'm the only trans person on the committee.

If we we want to bring about change... we have to go and take our seat at the table to make sure our voice is being heard.

It was never about them... it was about us! The misfits of society!