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Senior center launches gay, lesbian outreach

By Patty Pensa, Sun Sentinel, Source: MCT News Service

BOCA RATON, Fla. _ Forty-one years after opening to seniors, the Volen Center in Boca Raton, Fla., is reaching out to a group gaining national attention: gays and lesbians age 60 or older.

Recent reports show an estimated 3 million gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors nationwide. That number is expected to grow to 4 million in the next decade.

Volen Center Programming Director Jared Policano, who is openly gay, said a handful of seniors are "out" to him but not among their peers. Most gay and lesbian seniors grew up before the modern gay rights movement began with the 1969 Stonewall Riots. It wasn't until 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.

"Part of it is the culture and dynamic of a time when it was dangerous to be out," said Laurie Young, aging policy analyst at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Gay community centers, such as Compass in Lake Worth, Fla., more easily can attract gay and lesbian seniors. But outreach from a general population senior center may be critical because they outnumber gay community centers across the country, Young said. Just like some seniors might not want to go to a "senior" center, some gays and lesbians might not want to go to a "gay" community center, she said.

The effort is part of the latest change at the Volen Center, which switched its name from the Mae Volen Senior Center in the spring to attract seniors who shy from "senior" centers.

Volen Center leaders launched their "Alternatives" program last month to show gay and lesbian seniors the center has something specifically for them. Indeed, the target group is ripe for attention. Gay and lesbian seniors are twice as likely to live alone and four times less likely to have children, who are the primary caregivers for seniors, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"We're basically feeling our way around what's going to work to get the gay and lesbian community to come here," said Lon Lonker, Volen Center marketing director. "You have to reach out in a forum comfortable to them. Is a gay person going to come to a support group with all straight people?"

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The Volen Center launched Alternatives with a community expo in March. Then, in early June, it introduced a Senior Gay and Lesbian Social Club, billed as an "alternative approach to meeting new friends." Only a few people came, though, Policano planned to promote Alternatives at the Stonewall Street Festival in Wilton Manors last weekend.

Concerts, off-Broadway shows and a coming-out support group are in the works, Policano said. The Volen Center also wants to attract gay and lesbian seniors in the large south Palm Beach County retirement communities, Century Village west of Boca Raton and Kings Point west of Delray Beach. Free transportation is available.

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Volen Center leaders don't know how many gay and lesbian seniors they can bring into the fold. But they hope for a gradual increase in numbers so in a few years, gay and lesbian seniors will be part of the mainstream there. The center offers arts classes, bingo and movies, along with HIV testing and Alzheimer's awareness events.

"It's really smart for a center that serves seniors to recognize that not every senior has the same family orientation," said Tony Plakas, Compass executive director. "(South Florida) has always been attractive to people retiring _ people from all walks of life."

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