To my fellow physicians, I say, at the very least, be aware that roughly 10 percent of your patients are gay, lesbian and/or transgender. Will Mary and Alice, a loving lesbian couple in a 50-year relationship be able to stay together when they need to enter an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home? Will staff even recognize their love?Īfter navigating a lifetime of discrimination, prejudice and outright hate, will my older patients be told they now have to “go back into the closet” as they become dependent on caregivers they don’t know? What about housing and culturally sensitive health care? Indeed this phenomenon is beginning to take form slowly but steadily in cities in the U.S.Īnother important call to action should be to our clergy and church members that are of LGBT affirming denominations. One fix would be to gravitate to housing situations that are welcoming to us. With Social Isolation comes self-neglect, depression, anxiety and a host of preventable morbidities for our elderly. Many of my patients are estranged from their biological families. In fact, older LGBT persons are twice as likely to live alone, twice as likely to be single in old age and four times less likely to have children. So when my patients ask me, “Doc, what will happen to me when I get old? Where will I go, and who will look after me?” I take their hand and at the very least let them know they won’t have to go there alone.īut before I could answer some simple questions, I realized I didn’t know half as much as I thought I did about the challenges facing older lesbian, gay and transgender persons.Ī big issue that kept screaming at me during my research was “Social Isolation.”
we are the teachers, laborers, judges, politicians, doctors, lawyers, farmers and just plain folk that make up the beautiful fabric of America. We are proud military veterans, we live in all counties in the U.S. We are, first and foremost, Americans, above and beyond anything else. What, then, are the most crucial issues of our greying gay population? Our health care system is in a state of dangerous flux when it comes to caring for a populous that will double in number to more than 7 million in 20 years (70 million over the age of 65 total population, gay and straight and every stripe in between). I am not naive, nor are most of my patients and those who love them. It is my vocation to help my patients age the best way they can. I am one of many “out and proud” gay physicians in our great country. You should know that “my world,” as it is, consists of aging gay, lesbian and transgender Americans. I am often concerned when I think about what my “world” will look like in 20 years.
NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses.
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. There has never been a more important time for solidarity among America’s diverse communities, our allies, and the businesses who believe in them.”Īttributed to NGLCC Co-Founder & President Justin Nelson and Co-Founder & CEO Chance Mitchell Our outrage must be focused on supporting the health and wellbeing of our diverse communities, ensuring their voices are elevated, celebrated, and encouraged to thrive. The hearts of the NGLCC family go out to those harmed by these attacks, and attacks like this around the world. Diversity is the lifeblood of this nation, and celebrating our diversity is essential for our moral and economic wellbeing. Charlottesville must be a wakeup callĮxists against Americans based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ability, and more. “The NGLCC and our allies in business will not remain silent in the face of attacks on America’s diverse communities. NGLCC released the following statement in condemnation of the attack against Americans in Charlottesville, Virginia: