For LGBTQ Tennesseans, aging comes with added challenges

May is Older Americans Month — set aside by the federal government to bring awareness to the unique needs of people as they age. Across the country, the National Institutes of Health find that older adults in the LGBTQ community face systemic barriers to housing access, healthcare and social belonging.

Phil Cobucci is Executive Director of Inclusion Tennessee, a nonprofit that provides resources for LGBTQ Tennesseans. They say it can be challenging for older adults to find a place to live that both provides the care they need and affirms their identity. The problem is especially prevalent in Tennessee, where over 90% of senior living facilities are managed by faith-based organizations, which can be socially conservative.

“Older adults who have been out their entire lives, or have been out for a majority of their lives, then have to go back into their closet when they’re 80 years old, so they can go to a facility or go to a nursing home,” Cobucci said.

Another challenge is loneliness. Older LGBTQ people are more likely to be estranged from their families, and Cobucci said many are left with a smaller social network after losing friends during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s.

“There were thousands and thousands and thousands of people who were lost during during that time. And while we have to remember those lives and honor them with action, at the same time, we need to remember the people that are still here,” they said.

To help people make new friends, Inclusion Tennessee is working to build Nashville’s first LGBTQ-focused community center, which will serve people of all ages. In the nearer term, Cobucci says they’re partnering with the older adult resource center FiftyForward to bring people together. So far, they’ve paired younger and older LGBTQ people with similar interests, and they’re working on an all-ages queer prom.

“This is a celebration for any…person who wants to celebrate with the person that they wanted to go to prom with, but didn’t have the opportunity to go to prom with,” Cobucci said.