Elder LGBTQ+ Americans could get more help if this new bill passes

Three members of the Congressional Equality Caucus on Thursday introduced legislation to address a lack of resources for older LGBTQ+ Americans living in rural areas of the country.

Out Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Sharice Davids (D-KS), and ally Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), who chairs the caucus’s LGBTQI+ Aging Issues Task Force, announced proposed updates to the Older Americans Act intended to improve services for older LGBTQ+ adults in rural areas, particularly for those living with HIV.

Related: Ayanna Pressley slams Republicans for defunding LGBTQ+ senior housing project

One Republican said that LGBTQ+ senior housing is discriminatory against straight people.

They’re calling the proposed legislation the Elder Pride Act.

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“The ability of LGBTQI+ older Americans and seniors living with HIV to age with dignity should not depend on their zip code,” Bonamici said in a statement. “The Elder Pride Act will improve the overall health and social and economic well-being of LGBTQI+ older adults and seniors living with HIV in rural areas by better equipping senior service providers with resources to address the unique needs of these communities. I’m pleased to introduce this important legislation with my colleagues and co-leaders on the Equality Caucus, Representatives Pocan and Davids.”

The Elder Pride Act would establish a rural grant program designed to fund programs that provide cultural competency training for service providers, establish connections between LGBTQ+ older adults and local service providers and community organizations, expand the use of nondiscrimination policies and community spaces for older adults, and provide resources on sexual health and aging along with care and services for LGBTQ+ seniors.

According to the co-sponsors, barriers to support and resources for older LGBTQ+ Americans include geography, cost, insufficient broadband infrastructure, a lack of specialized providers, and stigma, among others. 

“Congress has a responsibility to ensure LGBTQI+ older adults and older people living with HIV in rural communities have the support they need to age with dignity,” said Rep. Pocan, the Equality Caucus chair. “I’m honored to join Rep. Bonamici and Rep. Davids in introducing the Elder Pride Act to ensure meaningful investments in support services for these rural community members.”

“Many of our LGBTQI+ elders fought tirelessly for equality in a world that refused to accept their identity,” added Rep. Davids, a Caucus co-chair. “While they overcame tremendous odds to give future generations the rights they deserve, our elders, particularly those in rural communities, continue to face discrimination when accessing long-term care and health care. I am proud to support the Elder Pride Act because who you are and who you love should never increase your risk for isolation, poverty, and poor health outcomes as you age.”

Co-sponsors of the bill include Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who slammed Republicans last fall after they stripped earmarked funding for an LGBTQ+ elder housing project in Boston that she requested in an appropriations bill.

According to far-right Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), the project discriminated against straight people.

“Republicans are choosing homophobia over housing, profits over people, cruelty over compassion,” Pressley said on the House floor. “Their actions to target, attack, and dehumanize our LGBTQ siblings are nothing more than a show of contempt.”

She called the move to strip her request from the bill an “act of policy violence.” 

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