There are now several gay senior housing projects in various stages of development in Seattle, Boston, and Florida. While such developments are welcome, most units will only be accessible to upper-income people. The housing needs of rural, poor and middle-income gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender elders can best be addressed by making senior housing gay-friendly and either adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 or passing a federal nondiscrimination law that covers housing as well as employment. (more…)

Heterosexism and homophobia are widespread in nursing homes and are symptomatic of a larger sexphobia often associated with those providing services to seniors. In a mid-1990s survey of nursing home social workers, more than half said their coworkers were intolerant or condemning of homosexuality among residents, while most other respondents avoided answering the question. The staff in one nursing home refused to bathe a resident because they did not want to touch “the lesbian,” and a home care assistant threatened to “out” a gay client if he reported her negligent care (Cook-Daniels 1997). (more…)