Group offers LGBT seniors a place to be themselves
Lunch and discussion planned for Friday, any and all welcomed to attend
It’s tough enough being a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender teen. If you are a closeted LGBT senior, you might need to multiply tough by 10.
Beaconsfield United Church is launching a new 50+ Seniors LGBTQ (the “Q” stands for “Questioning”) group at its West Island Rainbow Seniors Centre with a lunch and activities discussion on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Beaconsfield United Church, led by Reverend Shaun Fryday, is an affirming congregation that welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members.
Its thriving LGBTQ Youth group opened in May 2011 and had more than 800 teens participate in activities over the past year.
The adult group is growing, but “adult” covers a lot of territory. A 25-year-old doesn’t necessarily share the same interests as a 70-year-old.
Retired psychiatric nurse Shar- on Hill, 62, is a member of the board responsible for establishing the seniors centre.
She joined the adult LGBTQ group a little over a year ago after Claire, her partner of 19 years, died. She was drowning in her grief and couldn’t move forward with her life.
“I didn’t find (the first visit to the adult group) difficult or uncomfortable,” Hill said. “We shared our stories and had so much in common. I can come here and be who I am and spend time with other people like me.”
Beaconsfield United Church director of programs Cindy Casey acknowledges that not all seniors are comfortable about coming out to new friends.
“Some seniors can be nasty,” Casey said. “When they grew up, homosexuality was taboo.”
In 1967, Everett George Klippert was the last man in Canada to be arrested and jailed for being a homosexual. Klippert appealed his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, but the appeal was dismissed.
The dismissal caused an uproar in Parliament and the law decriminalizing homosexuality was passed in 1969.
Hall said it’s particularly difficult for LGBTQ seniors who have relocated to a seniors residence and don’t know how people will respond to their orientation.
“They don’t need to feel isolated,” Hall said. “Here they can be themselves, without being judged.”
Hall came out to her work friends and family in her early 50s. It was not easy. She remembers shaking like a leaf when she had the conversation with her family, but both family and friends embraced her news.