The Coalition for Aging LGBT serves LGBT individuals age 50 and older. This generation helped pave the way for marriage equality, HIV/AIDS advocacy, the ability to adopt, and many more rights and benefits the current LGBTQ community enjoys today. They did this while enduring the worst discrimination and prejudice our community can imagine.
One of the most hurtful words hurled at this generation was “queer.” It was used as a verbal weapon to crush one’s spirit, often before a physical weapon was used to break one’s body.
The Coalition for Aging LGBT recognizes the hurt and trauma this word can trigger in the population we serve, and thus we made a conscious decision not to use “Q” when describing our senior LGBT community. We also recognize the growing trend to reclaim the Q word as a modern badge of honor, and an umbrella term to cover the ever-changing identities our community continues to explore.
As we walk this fine line of creating safe spaces for our aging population and creating brave spaces for our younger population, know the Coalition for Aging LGBT is fully invested in this conversation. We will continue to evolve to best serve a community that continues to evolve. We appreciate your understanding and empathy in this matter.
