Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders

Last updated

Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders
Founded1979
13-2947657
Location
  • 305 Seventh Avenue, 15th Floor New York, NY 10001
Key people
LGBTQ+ older people
Website www.sageusa.org
Formerly called
Senior Action in a Gay Environment

Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders (SAGE) is America's oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) older people, focusing on the issue of LGBTQ+ aging. According to its mission statement, "SAGE leads in addressing issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (and other self-identifying members of the LGBTQ+ community) aging. In partnership with its constituents and allies, SAGE works to achieve a high quality of life for LGBTQ+ older people, supports and advocates for their rights, fosters a greater understanding of aging in all communities, and promotes positive images of LGBTQ+ life in later years." SAGE is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on advocacy on the local and federal levels, as well as activities, groups, and programs that encourage LGBTQ+ older people to stay connected with each other and the community.

Contents

Leadership

SAGE's leadership includes Chief Executive Officer, Michael Adams, former Director of Education and Public Affairs for Lambda Legal. SAGE's work is supported by a board of directors located throughout the U.S. The current board chairs are Ruth Eisenberg and Kevin Williams. [1] Edie Windsor was a vocal advocate for SAGE and former board member.

History

Incorporated by lesbian and gay activists and aging service professionals in 1978 as Senior Action in a Gay Environment, SAGE (now Services & Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Elders) is headquartered in New York City and has partner organizations all over the United States and Puerto Rico. SAGE also supports LGBTI older people in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nepal, and the Philippines. [2] SAGE works with LGBTQ+ older people and aging service providers to address and overcome the challenges of discrimination in older adult service settings. [3]

SAGE is responsible for creating the nation's first Friendly Visiting Program for frail and homebound LGBTQ+ older people; the country's first support group for LGBTQ+ older people living with HIV; the nation's first program dedicated to caregiving services for LGBTQ+ older people; the creation of the first national conferences devoted to LGBTQ+ aging concerns; and runs multiple centers for LGBTQ+ older people in New York. [4]

In 2010, SAGE became the recipient of a three-year, $900,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration on Aging to create the nation's only national resource center on LGBTQ+ aging. [5]

In 2022, SAGE announced a new strategic direction and organizational changes: the creation of two semi-autonomous divisions with Executive Directors called SAGEServes, focused on service programs, and SAGEVenture, devoted to social enterprise; an expanded and flexible partnership approach; and a new Center of Excellence. [6]

SAGE Centers With funding from NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) and the New York City Council, SAGE opened the nation's first municipally funded senior center in January 2012. [7] Expanded funding in 2014 allowed the opening of new centers in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and expanded services and facilities in Harlem. SAGE also provides services in Staten Island through a community partnership.

Caregivers SAGE's Caregiver program provides a wide range of services for caregivers and care recipients including respite and caregiver support groups. SAGECAP (SAGE Caring And Preparing) was the focus of a New York citywide ad campaign in 2010 which won a GLAAD Media Award in Advertising for "Outstanding Social Marketing Campaign". [8]

Advocacy and Policy SAGE’s Government Affairs Team works to ensure that federal, state, and local aging policies are LGBTQ+ and HIV-inclusive and that federal, state, and local LGBTQ+ and HIV policy initiatives reflect the needs of older people. In 2020, SAGE successfully fought for an LGBTQ+-inclusive reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, the primary vehicle for the organization and delivery of aging services in the United States. [9]

Special Programs

SAGE’s Special Programs Department offers direct participant services, both in and outside of New York City.

Friendly Visitor Program The New York City Friendly Visitor Program was founded in 1979, and was the first of its kind in the nation, matching volunteers with LGBTQ+ older people for social and emotional support in the form of weekly home visits and calls.

SAGEPositive Program The SAGEPositive Program offers case management, social events, and workshops for LGBTQ+ people over age 50 who are living with or potentially impacted by HIV. It houses the nation’s longest-running HIV support group for LGBTQ+ older adults. [10]

SAGEVets Program The SAGEVets Program serves LGBTQ+ Veterans over age 50 across New York State, providing case management, support groups, connection to Veterans Affairs services, and facilitating upgrades for veterans that received an Other Than Honorable Discharge, based on categories that include sexual orientation and gender identity. [11]

Florida Expansion Most recently, the Special Programs Department has replicated some of its program models in South Florida, opening a Friendly Visitor Program in Fort Lauderdale and a Care Management and Emergency Fund Support Program in Miami. [12] [13]

Social Enterprise

SAGECare In 2017 SAGE founded the Social Enterprise SAGECare, a fee-for-service training and consulting company. The company offers training courses on Creating Inclusive Communities, Home Care of LGBTQ+ Older Adults and several specific topics related to LGBTQ+ older adults. [14]

Publications

SAGE has been involved in the following publications which have been helpful in garnering media coverage about the circumstances of LGBTQ+ older people: [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egale Canada</span> Canadian charity

Egale Canada is a Canadian charity founded in 1986 by Les McAfee to advance equality for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people and their families, across Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center</span> LGBT community organization in New York City

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, commonly called The Center, is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) population of New York City and nearby communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles LGBT Center</span> Community center in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. The center is the largest facility in the world providing services to LGBT people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Universalism and LGBTQ people</span> Relationship between Unitarian Universalism and LGBTQ people

Unitarian Universalism, as practiced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), is a non-Creedal and Liberal theological tradition and an LGBTQ affirming denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Toy</span> American LGBTQ activist (1930–2022)

James Willis Toy was a long-time American activist and a pioneer for LGBT rights in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT retirement issues in the United States</span>

Many retirement issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) and intersex people are unique from their non-LGBTI counterparts and these populations often have to take extra steps addressing their employment, health, legal and housing concerns to ensure their needs are met. Throughout the United States, "2 million people age 50 and older identify as LGBT, and that number is expected to double by 2030", estimated in a study done by the Institute for Multigenerational Health at the University of Washington. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots marked the start of the modern gay rights movement and increasingly LGBTQ+ people have become more visible and accepted into mainstream cultures. LGBTQ+ elders and retirees are still considered a newer phenomenon creating challenges and opportunities as a range of aging issues are becoming more understood as those who live open lives redefine commonly held beliefs and as retirees newly come out of the closet.

Various issues in medicine relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), besides HIV/AIDS, issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer, hepatitis, mental health, substance use disorders, alcohol use, tobacco use, depression, access to care for transgender persons, issues surrounding marriage and family recognition, conversion therapy, refusal clause legislation, and laws that are intended to "immunize health care professionals from liability for discriminating against persons of whom they disapprove."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Laos</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Laos go unreported and unnoticed. While homosexuality is legal in Laos, it is very difficult to assess the current state of acceptance and violence that LGBTQ people face because of government interference. Numerous claims have suggested that Laos is one of the most tolerant communist states. Despite such claims, discrimination still exists. Laos provides no anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, nor does it prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the rights that opposite-sex married couples enjoy, as neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions are legal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT sex education</span> Sex education relevant to those who are LGBT

LGBT sex education is a sex education program within a school, university, or community center that addresses the sexual health needs of LGBT people.

The Spectrum Center is an office at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor that is dedicated to providing education, outreach, and advocacy for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied (LGBTQA) community. Since the organizations' creation in 1971, the Spectrum Center's mission statement has been to "enrich the campus experience and develop students as individuals and as members of the LGBTQA community." The organization achieves this through student-centered education, outreach, advocacy and support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucie's Place</span> U.S. non-profit organization

Lucie's Place is an organization in Little Rock, Arkansas, working to open a home for homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless LGBTQ young adults. Lucie's Place is named in memory of Lucille Marie Hamilton, a young transgender woman who died on July 11, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT Aging Project</span> LGBT equality non-profit organization

The LGBT Aging Project is a Boston-based non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults have equal access to life-prolonging benefits, protection, services and institutions as heterosexual and cisgender adults. Founded in 2001, the project provides cultural competence and institutional capacity training to elder service providers on how to create and sustain LGBT welcoming environments, develop community-building programs for LGBT older adults and caregivers, and also works to enact policy and legislative changes to improve access to care and benefits for LGBT elders.. The LGBT Aging Project was featured in the 2010 award-winning documentary Gen Silent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT ageing</span> Issues and concerns of older LGBTQ people

LGBT ageing addresses issues and concerns related to the ageing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Older LGBT people are marginalised by: a) younger LGBT people, because of ageism; and b) by older age social networks because of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heteronormativity, heterosexism, prejudice and discrimination towards LGBT people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose Center</span> LGBT health organization in Houston, Texas

The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and behavioral health, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).

Gerodiversity is the multicultural approach to issues of aging. This approach provides a theoretical foundation for the medical and psychological treatment of older adults within an ecological context that includes their cultural identity and heritage, social environment, community, family system, and significant relationships. Gerodiversity encompasses a social justice framework, which considers the social and historical dynamics of privilege and inequality. In addition to issues of aging, gerodiversity includes race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, socioeconomic status, physical ability or disability, sexual orientation, level of education, country of origin, location of residence, and religion or spirituality.

The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth (BAGLY) is a non-profit organization located in Boston that works to protect, expand, and raise awareness for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth (LGBTQ+). Founded by LGBTQ+ youth in 1980, it adopts a youth-led, adult-supported approach to better meet the varied needs of a wide demographic of LGBTQ+ youth in Greater Boston. BAGLY's stated goals are to create, sustain, and advocate for socially just and intersectional programs, policies, and services for the LGBTQ+ youth community, which they achieve through frequent community-based leadership development, health promotion, and social support programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Adams (lawyer)</span> American attorney

Michael Adams is an attorney and LGBT+ civil rights advocate in the United States. He has been the CEO of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders in New York City since 2006.

Disability and LGBTQ identity both can play significant roles in the life of an individual. Disability and sexuality can intersect in compounding ways, and, for many people, being both disabled and LGBTQ can result in double marginizalization. The two identities, either by themselves or in tandem, can complicate questions of discrimination and access to resources like accommodations, support groups, and elder care.

The Center on Colfax is a LGBTQ community center in Denver, Colorado. The nonprofit provides programs and services to the queer community including mental health support, historical preservation, and community building.

References

  1. ↑ "Home". January 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ "LGBTQ+ Aging Worldwide". October 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Ready to Serve".
  4. ↑ "SAGE Centers". October 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ "National Resource Center on LGBT Aging". LGBTAgingCenter.org.
  6. ↑ "Looking Forward". October 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Nation's first LGBT Senior Center opens in New York City". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. March 3, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Second Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising September 30, 2010".
  9. ↑ "SAGE Celebrates Major Victory in Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act". March 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ "SAGEPositive". October 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ "SAGEVets". October 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ "SAGE Services in Florida". October 25, 2023.
  13. ↑ "SAGE Launches 'Friendly Visitor' Program in South Florida". October 25, 2023.
  14. ↑ SAGECare. "SAGECare LGBT Training". SAGECare. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Aging issues can be tougher on gays - CNN.com". www.cnn.com.
  16. ↑ Span, Paula (September 30, 2010). "Gray, Gay...and Worried".
  17. ↑ "Long-Term Care Equality Index 2023 Executive Summary". May 2023.
  18. ↑ "So You Want to Build LGBTQ+ Inclusive Housing". December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Supporting Your LGBTQ+ Grandchild". September 2021.
  20. ↑ "Strengthen Your State and Local Aging Plan: A Practical Guide for Expanding the Inclusion of LGBT Older Adults". July 2017.
  21. ↑ "Understanding Issues Facing LGBTQ+ Older Adults". 2017.
  22. ↑ "Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services". December 15, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Caregiving in the LGBT Community". 2017.
  24. ↑ "Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults March, 2010".
  25. ↑ "Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Elders" (PDF). LGBT Aging Center.
  26. ↑ "Out & Visible: The Experiences and Attitudes of LGBT Older Adults, Ages 45-75". LGBTAgingCenter.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.