For more than 30 years, SAGE has been cultivating the seeds of change throughout the systems that support healthy and positive aging for all older people. And already we’ve seen big wins that have improved aging policies and programs at the national, state and local levels—and sparked a nationwide conversation on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. In 2011, SAGE saw many of our ideas take root and grow, and started new initiatives to ensure that LGBT elders, now and in the future, are no longer relegated to the margins of our country’s aging conversation.

Change is spreading through our communities, one idea at a time, and SAGE is in the lead.

The Older Americans Act (OAA) is the country’s leading vehicle for funding and delivering supportive services to older people nationwide. Yet the OAA includes no mention of LGBT older adults, despite their profound challenges. In March 2011 SAGE released LGBT Older Adults and Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, a policy brief that vividly describes LGBT elders’ needs, and offers concise recommendations for how OAA can meet those needs. And the broader aging community responded: in April 2011, the powerful Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO)—of which SAGE is the only LGBT member—released its official “Consensus Document” on OAA. The document included eight recommendations offered by SAGE that are specific to LGBT elders—a monumental statement of support for our communities.

Read SAGE’s OAA policy brief and the LCAO Consensus Document >>

For SAGE’s National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, 2011 was a year of unprecedented growth. SAGE added nearly 400 multimedia resources to the National Resource Center’s official website, creating in-depth sections on critical issues such as caregiving, legal and financial matters, HIV and aging, housing and more. In addition, to ensure an even wider reach, SAGE made many of these resources available in Spanish. SAGE also launched the National Resource Center’s comprehensive training program on LGBT cultural competency, which is designed to train aging providers and LGBT organizations on how to better serve LGBT elders; to meet the demand for training, in 2011 SAGE’s National Resource Center developed a nationwide corps of certified trainers. Our year of success can be found in the numbers: the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging ended the year with more than 40,000 downloads of its online resources, an average of 9,000 visits a month to its site, and more than 100 training requests from around the country.

See the Year in Review at the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

For years, hundreds of the most influential donors and leaders in the LGBT field have gathered at the Gill Foundation’s OutGiving conference to learn about and discuss the latest issues in the LGBT movement. Hosted by the Gill Foundation, this invitation-only meeting highlights the most pressing needs facing LGBT communities, as well as innovative solutions. In March 2011, SAGE was invited by the Gill Foundation to lead its first-ever conference panel on LGBT aging. The panel was introduced by Louis Bradbury, President of The Calamus Foundation, and included Michael Adams, Executive Director at SAGE; Dr. Yanira Cruz, President/CEO at the National Hispanic Council of Aging; Robert Espinoza, Senior Director for Public Policy and Communications at SAGE; and Sherrill Wayland, Executive Director at SAGE Metro-St. Louis. Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee delivered a special video message during our panel, encouraging conference attendees to invest in the future of SAGE’s National Resource Center on LGBT Aging—and the health and well-being of all LGBT older people.

Watch Assistant Secretary Greenlee’s video, as well as presentations from SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams and SAGE Metro St. Louis Executive Director Sherrill Wayland.

Today, approximately 28 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S. are over 50; by 2017 that number is projected to grow to 50 percent. In October 2011, SAGE partnered with the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and the Office of National AIDS Policy to host a historic White House meeting on HIV and aging. Leading advocates from around the country discussed program interventions and policy solutions to better support the first generation of older adults to live and age with HIV/AIDS in large numbers. And a few months later, Senator Bernard Sanders (D-VT) announced that his official bill for reauthorization of the Older Americans Act would include, as a priority, defining older adults with HIV, as well as LGBT elders, as populations in greatest social need.

Read a blog post on AIDS.gov from SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams, the first guest blogger to discuss HIV and aging on this important site, or browse HIV and aging resources at SAGE’s National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

In October 2011, current and future leaders from SAGENet affiliates—our nationwide network of community organizations dedicated to serving and engaging LGBT elders—met in St. Louis, Missouri for a historic training and daylong advocacy institute. Over the course of five days, these advocates exchanged ideas about LGBT aging programs and policies (including its connection to racial justice), discussed how federal policy affects their local work, and were certified as trainers by the LGBT cultural competency training offered through SAGE’s National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. As a result, SAGE ended the year with 35 certified trainers available to reach out to aging service providers around the country, and promising affiliates in various new sites around the country.

See if there’s a SAGENet affiliate in your area, or request a training from the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

When the leading minds in the aging field turn to SAGE for partnership, we know our work has made a difference. In the spring of 2011, SAGE partnered with the National Academy on an Aging Society (part of the Gerontological Society of America) to co-publish the first-ever LGBT aging issue of the acclaimed Public Policy and Aging Report (PPAR), released at the Gerontological Society of America’s annual conference in November 2011. Designed to stimulate debate, highlight emerging concerns and propose policy solutions, PPAR is distributed to thousands of thought leaders in the aging field in key legislative, media and policy-making positions. The issue covered topics such as the current state of the LGBT aging movement, HIV and aging, transgender issues, the intersection of racial equity and LGBT issues, and more. Most important, this report signaled a shift in how influential policy leaders at the federal level are gradually positioning LGBT issues at the center of their discussions on aging—thanks in large part to SAGE’s leadership.

Read this issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PDF) >>

In October 2011, SAGE saw one of our most cherished dreams come true: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a grant to seed the creation of The SAGE Center, the first full-time innovative LGBT senior center in the country. Part of New York City’s new Innovative Senior Center initiative, The SAGE Center is based not on a traditional model of serving one neighborhood, but on serving LGBT elders throughout the city’s five boroughs—extending LGBT-affirming services to LGBT older New Yorkers who do not use their local centers for fear of discrimination. By building on an unprecedented partnership with city government and private funders, and drawing on more than 30 years of experience in designing programs with LGBT elders, SAGE has since begun creating a vibrant center with dynamic programming that will serve as a model for other centers nationwide.

Learn more about The SAGE Center, including hours, programs and services >>

Despite the many challenges facing LGBT older adults, we also know that they are resilient and carry with them vast amounts of wisdom and expertise. From the beginning, SAGE’s work has been informed by their voices, needs and actions. In keeping with this tradition, SAGE formed the New York City Constituent Advisory Council (CAC)—a group of engaged, passionate older adults who serve and represent the interests participants in SAGE’s programs and services. Comprising 15 members, CAC’s mission is to engage in dialogue with SAGE’s communities and staff to ensure that the programs we offer meet the diverse and changing needs of LGBT older adults throughout New York City.

Meet the members of your CAC, and send them suggestions through the CAC feedback form >>

Founded and headquartered in New York City, SAGE has a longstanding history of fighting for policies in our city and state to improve the lives of LGBT elders. As a member of numerous statewide and citywide coalitions, SAGE has been instrumental in bringing an LGBT elder voice to the broader struggles to promote equity and increase resources for our diverse communities. And this work is paying off: when state legislators were mapping out New York’s State Plan on Aging 2012-2015—outlining its support of aging state residents—SAGE offered numerous LGBT-specific recommendations. The plan was released in October 2011 with those recommendations in place. In addition, SAGE was a key part of a coalition of aging organizations that helped preserve the New York State Office of the Aging. And we secured essential funding from New York City to ensure that we can continue to provide essential services to LGBT older people.

Read testimony from SAGE staff and constituents on LGBT aging issues >>

Many LGBT older adults face challenges when accessing aging services, such as invisibility, ignorance, and discrimination related to their sexual orientations and gender identities. In New York City (and in many SAGENet affiliate sites around the country), SAGE has pioneered a model of social service delivery that is tailor made to meet LGBT older adults’ needs. From case management, to services offered in-home for frail older individuals, to support groups conducted over the phone for LGBT elders and caregivers across the country, SAGE’s social services help hundreds of LGBT elders each year. And we continue to expand—conducting a needs assessment in Harlem and the Bronx to learn how to better serve LGBT elders of color, and training other social service agencies throughout New York City to ensure that no matter where LGBT older adults seek help, they will feel welcome.

Visit sageusa.org to learn more about the supportive services offered by SAGE >>

With the number of LGBT older adults expected to double to 3 million by the year 2030, the need to address the specific challenges faced by LGBT older adults is greater than ever—and the philanthropic community is taking notice. In October 2011, SAGE received the prestigious Grantmakers in Aging Diversity Award for our work to identify and address the unique needs of LGBT older adults through direct service provision, coalition building and advocacy at the local, state and federal levels. Grantmakers in Aging is the only organization dedicated to promoting and strengthening grantmaking for an aging society—and this award was a powerful acknowledgment that LGBT older adults are an essential part of the aging landscape.

Learn more about giving opportunities to SAGE >>