This was on an article online this morning: https://blogs.msn.com/povertynextdo...hardships-and-age-old-stigmas?ocid=spartandhp For me, I haven't heard/read anything about Seniors being LGBTQ, although I'm sure there are those that are. Guess I'd have to look deep into a picture of LGBTQ protesting/marching to see if any Seniors are a part of it. It always the younger generation that is talked about, not us. As for what I think, I feel that all Seniors have some type of problem going on, whether it be medical, family, financial, etc.. But, since the entire population of the LGBTQ community is controversial, adding the Senior population into it would make a story. What do you think?
Dunno. Other than labeling themselves to further define their sexual preference, do they have any more or lesser problems than a homeless senior or just a senior depending on social security or a senior with a debilitating health condition? There are millions of seniors out there with no one surrounding them and giving them any great support so why does being gay have a priority over anyone else? Perhaps because I’m not gay I do not understand what the outstanding / differing problems might be in the realm of being old and in need so it is a possibility that I’m just not the right person to ask.
Sounds like a self serving article to me. Why someones sexuality enter into the finance or health arena sounds like a construct to me. Anyone of any "alternative" lifestyle will be discriminated against. Just the way it is. tattooed people are discriminated against all the time! If you wear your particular "eccentricity" like a flag,flaunt it in others faces,yes you will likely face discrimination. However if you conduct your life as we all should(IMHO) without your sexuality or other foibles being a part of your public life then you probably won't experience discrimination. Personally I discriminate against Christian businesses. If I go to a tire shop and are confronted by crucifixes and bible quotes,my dollars go elsewhere. I don't need to be "saved" to buy a mattress, and I don't much care about your final judgement either. As long as the discrimination is personal not institutional or organized,or approved by any government entity, it is my right.
So let me get this right. You, as a senior citizen, went into a Christian owned store one time and was discriminated against by the owner until you either left or succumbed to his or her demands to get saved? Why, even though I have never been accosted in such a manner by any owner in any store, I do not blame you the least bit for not going into Christian owned stores! I mean, to heck with the lGBTQ etc problems that the OP is suggesting because their problems as seniors are nowhere near those that you face.
Okay @Peter Renfro. After re-reading your post a couple of more times I kind of get the point. Essentially what you are writing is that anyone who opens the door by declaring themselves whatever is probably going to be discriminated against by someone. And, I might add that being a senior somewhat compounds the problems that seniors already face due to that discrimination. Okay...got it.
I have to add this to Bobby and Peter's replies, there are those that won't shop at Hobby Lobby or eat at Chick-fil-a because they both close their stores on Sunday so employees can attend church. There is even a sign posted on the front doors of Hobby Lobby stating just that. Now, I do believe the GLBTQ community can push to hard for people who don't want to support/believe in the community to support/believe. With tattoos, I see, even in cold-to-freezing weather here, many young folks that sport multiple tattoos, wearing a t-shirt or short-sleeve shirt to display them. There reasoning, "I paid a lot of money for these and I want to show them off." Actually, there are many things today that are controversial, with problems, etc., in society and I seriously don't think that the GLBTQ Senior community should be at the top. Just my opinion.
I do much the same, only differently. Businesses that have obviously gone out of their way to be secular, where they don't even give customers the option of buying something with religious connotations, such as an entire stock of Season's Greetings cards, but no Merry Christmas cards, isn't likely to get my business. I don't care if they choose to ignore the Christmas season altogether but if their store window is decorated to celebrate the holiday season rather than Christmas, I'll probably look elsewhere. I won't stand in front of the building, holding a sign, and I won't necessarily go too far to look elsewhere, but I'll certainly consider another option. I don't mind if the owners are Jewish or some other religion, but if the signage is so heavily religious that I don't know if it's a church or a place of worship, I might go somewhere else unless I'm familiar with the business. But then, I do that with businesses that are run out of someone's house. Once, I stopped at a place that advertised pet food on a sign outside the house, curious as to what types of pet food they had, and they acted like I was an idiot. They hadn't sold pet food in years, but they didn't take the sign down. When I am confronted with a business that is overly obvious about their Christian nature, I get suspicious. I don't know that I'm comfortable with Jesus as an advertising ploy, unless it's a Christian bookstore or something. I used to make fun of a permanent roadside vendor in Texas whose sign read: BANANAS - $0.50/LB JESUS SAVES I would ask whether we should get the Jesus Saves bananas or the regular ones. But if someone has a crucifix on the wall, a painting, or some other religious icon, I just see that as an acknowledgment of their faith, and it's kind of silly to be ashamed of your faith. As for GLBTQRSTUVWXYZ issues, I am uncomfortable with anyone inserting their sexuality into their business. As a Christian, I believe that my faith should be with me always, and be a part of decisions that I make. But my sexual preferences have a place, and it's not the workplace. I have hired people who were gay and I have worked 24-hour shifts with partners who were gay, as a paramedic. However, I knew they were gay only because EMS was a fairly tight community and most of us knew pretty much everything about everyone. But if someone walked into a job interview and introduced themselves as being either gay or heterosexual, I probably wouldn't hire them. I didn't ask that question, and wouldn't ask that question, so the unsolicited information would tell me that this is likely to be an issue.
I have worked, for a short time, for a lesbian couple who were real nice, but could definitely tell the "male" one and "female" one. One was much more manly than the other and dressed that way as well. But, still, both were nice to me. The last company I worked for, a lesbian was transferred from being a patient pick-up/take home driver to the Materials Dept. that I worked in. She was nice, but definitely had the "manly" appearance. After a few weeks in the Department, she asked to be transferred back to patient driver. She told me, in private, that she knew our Supervisor/Director didn't like her and she stated that it was because she was a lesbian. Have never worked for or with a gay, transgender, bi-sexual person.
It's generally considered acceptable with lesbians when describing them as ''Manly'' or ''Ladylike''... as ''Butch and or Fem''.....there not always a separation, sometimes a lesbian couple will be both Butch, other times both Fem... similar really to Homosexual men, sometimes both will be ''Queens'' sometimes both ''Butch', and sometimes a mix of the 2...
Unless the person makes their sexual preferences an issue, I don’t think that it should be a problem. It used to be that only married couples could be on the same insurance policy, but now that has been opened up to include couples of any sex, and I think for just people living together in an open style marriage. Any time I have been in the hospital or doctor’s office, I had no idea whether anyone there was gay or not, and it didn’t even cross my mind to wonder, and the same thing when I am out shopping at some store. In the article, It referenced people who were marching in Gay Pride parades, and similar demonstrations, and most of the time, anyone who is doing a protest march (about anything) is going to have some kind of opposition, and should expect it to happen. People have lost their job just for protesting or supporting a political candidate, and no matter how you feel about any issue, there will be people who will disagree with you if you make a big fuss about it. I don’t think that this is something that is going to affect seniors any more than it does anyone else, and probably less; because a senior is not as apt to be out marching up and down the street with a sign proclaiming their preferred gender designation.
We seem to live in a country where everyone screams equal rights, but then lots of groups seem to think they have more coming to them than what all the other 'equal' people are getting. I realize everyone's idea of hard times is different, but really, I've had a lot of crappy stuff happen in my life as well. Sometimes I wonder if I should stand on a sidewalk demanding my free biscuit and special opportunity. OK. I'm done ranting.
Since the facility I live in is so laid back and we women all walk around in slacks and jeans and most of us, if not all have short hair at our age, it's hard to tell if there are gays among us. A few have never married, but that doesn't indicate anything. Nearly all are either widowed, divorced or do have husbands living elsewhere. The majority of us all have children, etc. So, I guess unless someone was a real flamer, I wouldn't know one way or the other. I have worked with gays, but not socialized as we moved in different circles.
I could be incorrect but one problem they might face is the marriage thing. A couple that has lived together without being married means that neither will benefit from a survivors Social Security benefit when one passes. I can’t think of anything else in the financial world that isn’t the same for everyone but that one item. But hey, even straight couples have that problem if they only live together without their piece of paper. I still .....dunno.
My sister and I were on a foreign tour a couple of years ago and a few days in, one of the other women sort of sidled up to us and asked, "Soooo, how long have you two been together?" I said, "Oh, 62 years." She looked at me like I was crazy. "We're sisters, not a couple." So, yeah, you never know.....