June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and many other terms (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month. While President Clinton originally declared June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” in 1999[1] to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the New York City Stonewall riots, [2] President Biden has affirmed June 2022 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month to “celebrate generations of LGBTQI[A]+ people who have fought to make the possibilities of our Nation real for every American.”[3]
The advocacy organization SAGE calculates that there are approximately 1.1 million LGBTQIA+ older adults in the United States,[4] while according to the American Psychological Association, that figure could be much higher – around 2.4 million.[5] It is also estimated that approximately 20% of the LGBTQIA+ older population are people of color.[6] Furthermore, in its Long-Term Care Equality Index report, SAGE estimates that up to 5% of individuals living in long-term care communities identify as LGBTQIA+.[7],[8]
LGBTQIA+ older adults may face many struggles, including being “disproportionately affected by poverty and physical and mental health conditions due to a lifetime of unique stressors associated with being a minority … [they] may be more vulnerable to neglect and mistreatment in aging care facilities.”[9]
Related statistics are disturbing. According to SAGE’s Old and Bold: Services for All campaign:
- Over half (53%) of all LGBTQIA+ older people report feeling isolated from others
- 65% of older transgender respondents to a 2015 national survey felt there would be limited access to care as they aged
- 71% of LGBTQIA+ older adults fear having to “re-closet” themselves when seeking elder housing[10]
In the proclamation to affirm June 2022 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, President Biden stated:
“We must … fight for LGBTQI[A]+ seniors so that they can age with dignity … We reaffirm our belief that LGBTQI[A]+ rights are human rights. We recommit to delivering protections, safety, and equality to LGBTQI[A]+ families so that everyone can realize the full promise of America.”
The Center for Medicare Advocacy’s mission is to advance access to comprehensive Medicare coverage, health equity, and quality health care for older adults and people with disabilities. We recognize that sexual orientation and gender identity are integral to an individual’s health and mental well-being – and to their receipt of equitable, quality care. The Center is firmly committed to LGBTQIA+ rights and enthusiastically embraces LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
[1] The American Presidency Project. Proclamation 7203-Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, 1999. (June 11, 1999). Available at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-7203-gay-and-lesbian-pride-month-1999
[2] The Stonewall riots (or Stonewall uprising) were a series of demonstrations by the gay community in response to a police raid on June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The riots are widely considered to be pivotal moment of the gay liberation movement in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States. More information can be found here: https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots and here: https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/stonewalluprising-martin.pdf
[3] The United States Government. A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2022. The White House. (May 31, 2022). Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/05/31/a-proclamation-on-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer-and-intersex-pride-month-2022/
[4] SAGE. LGBT Older People & COVID-19. (May 2020). Available at: https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/2020%20LGBTQ%20Older%20Adults%20COVID.pdf
[5] American Psychological Association. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/aging
[6] SAGE. LGBT Older People & COVID-19. (May 2020). Available at: https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/2020%20LGBTQ%20Older%20Adults%20COVID.pdf
[7] SAGE. Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI). SAGE. (November 11, 2021). Available at: https://www.sageusa.org/lei/
[8] See the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s Alert highlighting SAGE’s Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI) 2021 report here: https://medicareadvocacy.org/recent-initiatives-focus-on-understanding-and-addressing-the-needs-of-lgbtq-older-adults-in-long-term-care/
[9] American Psychological Association. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/aging
[10] SAGE. The Campaign to Ensure Culturally Competent Support for LGBTQ+ and HIV-Positive Elders Nationwide. Old & Bold: Services for All. May 2022. Available at: https://www.sageusa.org/resource-posts/what-is-old-bold-services-for-all/