With days remaining in this year’s Pride Month observances, one Massachusetts lawmaker says he wants to look after LGBTQI+ Americans who blazed the trail.
New legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and others would set up a new federal agency aimed at supporting the health and economic needs of older LBTQI+ Americans.
The “Elder Pride Act,” as it’s been dubbed, would set up a new Office of LGBTQI Inclusion within the Department of Health and Human Services charged with assisting elders living with HIV, the Bay State Democrat’s office said in a statement.
The new office also would recommend policies, and collect data on older LGBTQI+ adults. It also would establish a new grant program assisting those older adults who live in rural areas.
“After years of exclusion and discrimination from health care settings, workplaces, and their local communities, LGBTQ+ older Americans deserve the protections their neighbors are afforded,” Markey said in the statement his office released late last week.
“Queer and trans elders should be able to age with dignity, grace, and surrounded by community. The Elder Pride Act will ensure that all older adults are able to have access to the care and services they need,” Markey continued.
Markey is joined on the legislation by Democratic U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla, of California; Ron Wyden, of Oregon; Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, and Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin.
“Older LGBTQ+ Americans have paved the way for equality their entire lives, persevering and fighting against discrimination and standing up against bigotry, regardless of the obstacles in their way,” Casey, who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Aging, said, adding that “Congress has an obligation to ensure they are protected.”
Older LGBTQI+ Americans have fewer sources of support compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, according to Markey’s office. They also face higher poverty rates, and experience poorer health care outcomes and access.
The bill would complement efforts by local area agencies on aging, which often have trouble funding or offering services for older LGBTQI+ people, according to Markey’s office.
Markey’s proposal has companion versions in the U.S. House. It has the backing of a constellation of advocacy groups.
“We know LGBTQI older adults and those living with HIV experience higher rates of social isolation and poverty, as well as barriers to health care. Now is the time to act, and we look forward to working in a bipartisan manner to advance the Elder Pride Act,” Ramsey Alwin, the president and CEO of the National Council on Aging, which is backing the proposal, said.
