During Pride Month, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) community—which includes people of all ages and abilities. We center the idea of “pride” to celebrate the countless LGBTQI+ people around the world who are living authentically and joyfully in defiance of intolerance and bigotry. We also honor the impact and the legacy of the courageous leaders who stood their ground at Stonewall – and in countless fights to protect and advance LGBTQI+ rights before and since. This feels particularly important this year, as laws, rhetoric and even court decisions increasingly target the LGBTQI+ community, especially trans individuals.
I also had the privilege of walking alongside Parade Grand Marshal, and Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine in Washington D.C.'s Capital Pride Parade.
ACL and the aging and disability networks are driven by a shared vision of making community living possible for all people. But we know that LGBTQI+ people with disabilities and older adults often face unique barriers to accessing the services and supports they need to thrive in the community. Removing these barriers requires proactive and intentional work from all of us.
We took an important step forward this month with the release of our proposed updates to the regulations for ACL’s Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The OAA requires services to be targeted to older adults with the greatest economic and social needs. If implemented, the proposed rule will explicitly include LGBTQI+ older adults in the population of those with greatest social needs. This change will offer the aging network new tools to ensure they are truly reaching all older adults.
Many LGBTQI+ people assume, often based on a lifetime of painful experiences, that they will not be welcomed into new and unfamiliar spaces as their authentic selves. As a result, they often do not seek services or participate in programs that are available to help them maintain their health and independence. This is particularly true of LGBTQI+ older adults.
Showing visible support for the LGBTQI+ community can help begin to overcome this barrier. This can be something as simple as displaying the Pride flag or social media posts that include the LGBTQI+ community. We’ve seen many great social media posts this month, including the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging’s post on local LGBTQI+ history and tips for making Pride celebrations more accessible from the Center for Excellence in Disabilities at West Virginia University.
Making the LGBTQI+ community visible in programs and outreach also can help, and our networks are doing that in a variety of ways. For example, ACL’s National Paralysis Resource Center regularly features LGBTQI+ voices on its blog and in its webinars, such as one on dating with a disability.
Visibility in data is also crucial. Historically, LGBTQI+ people have been invisible in much of the data that shapes our programs and drives policymaking, making it harder to understand the unique needs of the community and whether programs are effectively meeting those needs. We are working to address this critical gap.
ACL has established an agency-wide policy for including questions on sexual orientation and gender identity that are consistent with the recommendations of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine any time we collect demographic data (except for purposes of program eligibility). ACL also funds the National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD), which has helped to shed light on some of the health disparities faced by LGBTQI+ disabled people. For example, a study published earlier this month analyzed data from the NSHD to find that LGBTQI+ autistic people reported worse health outcomes and more unmet healthcare needs than their peers who did not identify as LGBTQI+, which provides valuable information for planning future research and interventions.
ACL and our networks also are working to improve the ability of service providers to meet the needs of LGBTQI+ disabled people and older adults. Since 2010, ACL has funded SAGE to operate a national resource center to improve the ability of service providers to meet the unique needs of LGBTQI+ older adults and to improve access to aging and disability services for LGBTQI+ people. Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Elder Affairs has offered a free online training on LGBTQI+ and aging and hosts an annual conference focused on improving outreach and services for LGBTQ+ older adults. Similarly, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council is funding the Proud and Supported initiative, which is teaching direct support professionals best practices to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who identify as LGBTQI+.
We also are improving access to community living services for LGBTQI+ people. The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and other developmental disability organizations are partnering with LGBTQI+ organizations, healthcare providers, and self-advocates to improve access to health care for LGBTQI+ people with disabilities. They are working to embed disability awareness into LGBTQI+ work and bring LGBTQI+ resources to the disability community.
And we are meeting people where they are. Chicago’s area agency on aging is using Older Americans Act funding to serve meals and provide services to more than 150 older adults each week at the Center on Halsted, an LGBTQI+ community center.
ACL also is working with our partners to address issues that disproportionately affect LGBTQI+ older adults and people with disabilities. A prime example is supporting people living with HIV. ACL is working with federal partners, including the Health Resources and Services Administration Ryan White program, to create and share resources for older adults with HIV. In addition, ACL and the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy created two prize competitions seeking innovative and effective solutions to address the needs of people aging with HIV and long-term survivors, with particular emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQI+ population. This month we announced the winners of the first phase of the challenge, who will now more fully develop their ideas and compete for a final prize of $70,000 to fully expand their approach and prepare for implementation.
These are just a few of many examples. As Pride Month comes to an end, ACL proudly reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that LGBTQI+ disabled people and older adults are fully included in our programs and have the support they need to live and fully participate as valued members of their communities. We also recommit to being visible in our support for the LGBTQI+ community—and to ensuring the LGBTQI+ community is heard and welcomed by ACL’s programs. And, as President Biden said in his proclamation, we stand proudly with the LGBTQI+ community in the enduring struggle for freedom, justice, and equality.
You also may be interested in:
- Statements by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and HHS Principals on Pride Month
- Watch: HHS wishes you a happy Pride Month!
- President Biden’s Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government
- Other posts from around HHS