A grassroots group is forming to provide social opportunities for LGBTQ2 seniors in the community.
The social group Seniors of 91原创 for those 55 and older who are are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or two-spirited is being created. (Two spirited is a gender identity term for a person who considers themselves both male and female.)
鈥淭here is no organization per se that is responsible for setting up SOL [Seniors of 91原创],鈥� explained Susan Higginbotham. 鈥業t has rather evolved at the grass roots level initiated by a conversation at LINC [91原创 Integrated Network Care) meeting that I attended. SOL was formed in partnership with LSCAT [91原创 Seniors Community Action Table] and LDFP [91原创 Division of Family Practice].
Higginbotham will serve as the co-ordinator or facilitator but it will be up to the members to make the key decisions about the group and what it does.
鈥淎 guiding principle for the group will be group discussion, group consensus, group decision-making regarding the forming of SOL, membership, activities, etc.,鈥� she explained.
The first meeting is at 12 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22 in the Timms Community Centre. The group is open to all who are 55 and older but not restricted to people are are LGBTQ2.
鈥淥ne does not have to have 鈥榗ome out鈥�,鈥� Higginbotham noted.
But the social group will be an accepting atmosphere.
鈥淭he first meeting will primarily be a Meet and Greet,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he most important aspect is to provide a warm, accepting, safe and secure environment.鈥�
Life for older people who are LGBTQ2 was very different than for young people.
鈥淪o many seniors were never able to live who they truly were for fear of isolation, alienation, bullying, being targeted with inflammatory accusatory language, being pathologized or being charged as having committed a criminal act,鈥� she noted.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada in 1969 and removed from the American Psychiatric Association list of mental illnesses in 1973.
Since 1982, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has guaranteed equality of racial, sexual, mental and physical disability rights, the charter did not include equality of rights to lesbians and gays, but it did not include equality rights for lesbians and gays.
For more information, email seniorsoflangley@gmail.com.
