New program aims to help older queer Islanders find comfort and community
Rainbow Elders group offers support to P.E.I.'s 2SLGBTQ+ seniors
Older Islanders who are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community can face their own unique set of challenges, and a new program from PEERS Alliance looks to help meet those needs.
It's called Rainbow Elders, and the group is hosting a free lunch on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel.
Michelle Jay, one of the volunteers organizing the program, said the event is meant to create a space for community members to support each other through the transition into elderhood, and open conversations about the activities and services that would be most beneficial to them on the Island.
"Anybody who's going through a transition in a different stage of life, it's great to have support and people around you," Jay told CBC's Mainstreet P.E.I.
"The queer community needs that more than other folks, because I think we've been marginalized, and we're vulnerable in different ways."
While the focus is on older 2SLGBTQ+ Islanders, Jay said the event is also open to younger people who want to take part in sharing stories, experiences and resources across generations.
Seeking safe spaces
Another volunteer with the program, Dave Stewart, said one of the challenges older queer people face is having to weigh whether to hide their identity when accessing health care.
That decision often comes with fears about whether their quality of care will be impacted.
"I don't know if people are leaving prejudice at the door or not, and I don't want to receive lesser care than I should be receiving," he said.
"Maybe as part of the queer community, as lesbian, gay men, non-binary, trans, you have specific issues or situations that are not the same as the straight community, and it's always such a pain to have to sort of address it all the time. You know, it's tiring."
Jay agrees, and said the issue involves more than just health care.
Older queer folks may face similar dilemmas when speaking to professionals like investment advisors or nursing home staff, where they must consider how open they can be.
"A lot of the institutions maybe haven't caught up," Jay said.
Building community and sharing resources
That's part of the reason events like Sunday's lunch are so important — they offer a chance for people to share their struggles, build connections and pass along helpful information, such as which care homes or services have inclusive policies.
"Sometimes people are estranged from families, especially older queer folk," she said.
"Their families have not been accepting or have been ostracizing or excluding of them, and so our families are more families that we've maybe created, rather than... our first original families."
Stewart added that he recently talked with a friend about how a simple gesture from a seniors residence could make a big impact.
"If senior homes had that rainbow sticker on their window, like just that little thing going, 'OK, this is a place where I can feel OK,' as opposed to what we've heard time and time again about older queer people having to go back in the closet when they go into senior care," he said.
"The last chapter of your life shouldn't be so terrible."
Jay said Sunday's event is just the beginning. Organizers want to hear from attendees about what kind of ongoing supports and activities they'd like to see.
With files from Mainstreet P.E.I.