-
GOP abandons Medicare plan under growing pressure
From the New York Times: WASHINGTON — House Republicans signaled Thursday that they were backing away from the centerpiece of their budget plan — a proposal to overhaul Medicare — in a decision that underscored both the difficulties and political perils of addressing the nation’s long-term fiscal problems. While top Republicans insisted that they remained committed to the Medicare initiative, which had become the target of intense attacks by Democrats and liberal groups in recent weeks, the lawmaker who would have to turn the proposal into legislation said he had no plans to do so any time soon. The lawmaker, Representative Dave Camp, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said that while he still supports the party’s Medicare approach, opposition from Democrats made it pointless to proceed.
Continue reading.]]> -
Happy two mothers' day
My kind of kid. (via The New Yorker — cartoon by Willian Haefeli)]]>
INTERVIEW: Rev. Pat Bumgardner – MCC New York
I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my true inspirations, Rev. Pat Bumgardner from Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCC New York). I first heard Rev. Pat on a Sunday morning fifteen or so years ago, and the power of her sermons, with their clear social justice message and their profound inclusion, which is something you feel immediately at this church, has kept me coming back ever since. She’s a safe space unto herself, and it was a privilege to get some time to talk with her.]]>
Column: Short-term memory: will the LGBT community forget its past?
David Webb – The Rare Reporter
Despite its stellar, well-known rise to political prominence in many cities across the country, local LGBT communities might find themselves hard-pressed to document their glory days in coming years.
We apparently are forgetting our history as fast as we live each new day. So many people have either died, moved away from the cities of their youth or both that the number of people who remember what happened in their locales after the birth of the gay rights movement in June 1969 are dwindling daily.
It’s not unusual for people not to be able to remember local LGBT political gains in cities nationwide because definitive histories have not been written about our local cultures. It’s not unusual for arguments to break out about what gay bars existed when and where because there is so little record of their existence.
If we don’t remember where we’ve been and what we’ve done, are we prepared for where we need to go in the future?
Many LGBT communities are fortunate to have long-running publications that have chronicled the events of several decades, but most lack those resources. Some LGBT people have amassed personal collections of gay magazines, newspapers and other literature dating back to World War II before most people in the community were born. But I’m only aware of a few cities where such collections have been saved for scholarly use.
When old timers in the LGBT community talk about what they witnessed decades ago, it provides a fascinating glimpse into what life was like for LGBT people struggling in an oppressive time that most of us have never experienced.
Research of newspaper archives reveals that in the 1950s and 1960s law enforcement agencies aggressively pursed gay people in their homes during private parties. People were literally arrested for same-sex dancing in those days.
PBS has produced a fascinating 90-minute documentary, “Stonewall Uprising,” that focuses on LGBT life in New York City in the 1960s and what led up to the pivotal moment in 1969 when gay men, lesbians and drag queens decided to revolt against tyranny.
Likewise, there have been show business histories written about the persecution of LGBT people in Hollywood in the 1950s, but what happened in most other cities is in danger of being lost forever. LGBT communities thrived in some manner in every city of any size, and it needs to be documented.
We can’t afford to forget that our lives today are literally blessed in comparison to what the people before us experienced. We can’t ever let politicians forget that our lives matter, and that we will never go back to the old days of subjugation.
And don’t ever forget that there are still many people around who would like to see our community dissolved and powerless. Pastors of churches that are members of the powerful Southern Baptist Convention are proponents of a movement to discredit and render us politically powerless.
That’s why it is important to document our history, to show young people in our community what we accomplished and to show our detractors that we’ve fought many battles in the past and that we will do it again if necessary.
Perhaps, it could be a collaborative effort with many writers who lived through the times reflecting on what happened.
We’ve certainly got the talent and the resources in every city to document our history. The idea has been tossed around before, but apparently nothing has ever came of it. Isn’t it time that we did it?
David Webb is a veteran journalist who has covered LGBT issues for the mainstream and alternative media for three decades. E-mail him at davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com. ]]>
61 years and still waiting to marry
My partner Frank and I live in New York. While I’d be happy to make the short trip to Greenwich, CT, to get married, Frank’s among the many who want to wait until we can do it in the state in which we live. So . . . here’s a video making the rounds of a charming, devoted couple who’ve been together for 61 years and are still waiting for that trip to the courthouse in their home state. Governor Cuomo thinks he can make it happen, I’ll reserve judgment.]]>
Iowa group focuses on LGBT seniors
From the Press-Citizen:
Elsie Gauley Vega has not always been comfortable about admitting her sexuality. She even married a man, even though she knew she was a lesbian, because she thought it was the only way she could have children.
“I wanted to be a mother, back in the ’50s, I knew no other way,” Vega said.
Today, the 83-year-old mother of four is not only open about discussing her sexual orientation, she produces a monthly television show where she interviews other gay and lesbian individuals and their family members.
“My goal is to let the public know we are as normal as God made us,” Vega said. “Those of us in the gay and lesbian community are members of society like our brothers and sisters.”
The “Friends and Neighbors” television show, which Vega produces at the Johnson County/Iowa City Senior Center, is just one of several local initiatives to reach out to all demographics of the LGBT community, including older residents. Another organization, the Visibility Action Team, has been working to address concerns specific to seniors.
Continue reading.]]>
Higher incomes twice as likely to have long term care insurance
From Senior Housing News:
Despite the increasing need for long term care, only 1 in 10 Americans aged 55 and older had private long term care insurance in 2008 according to the a new report from the Urban Institute.
Most Americans will eventually need long-term care, which is often expensive and not usually covered by public programs until recipients have nearly exhausted their savings. In 2009, 5.2 million Americans age 65 and older not living in institutions had long-term care needs.
Of those covered, those with incomes of more than $100,000 were twice as high.
]]>
'Gen Silent' documentary highlights plight of LGBT elderly
“What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill – and the person feeding you put down the spoon and explained that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual orientation? Sound absurd? According to social workers, it’s happening every day. Gen Silent is the new LGBT documentary from award-winning director and documentary filmmaker Stu Maddux (Bob and Jack’s 52-Year Adventure, Trip to Hell and Back) that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their lives to survive in the care system.” The above quote is from the ‘about‘ section for what promises to be a searing documentary on the plight of elderly LGBT people. This is a population largely forgotten. It’s easy to think that if we’re lucky we get old, but for LGBT seniors that luck can run out. Mistreatment, neglect, rejection and fear are forcing many of our elders to retreat back into the closet for their own safety and survival. ‘Gen Silent’ is showing at the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival in Alberta, Canada, and is being screened in various locations around the country. I haven’t seen it yet but plan to as soon as possible. More on it when I do.]]>
MARK’S CAFE MOI: Every fever breaks
I last wrote about being a 52 year old gay male executive assistant losing my job. I made some assumptions on that about the possibility of gender discrimination (I’m the only male assistant in the company as far as I know) and my thinking the odds weren’t good for finding another job here after ten years when my competitors are all women, most of them younger.
It turns out I’m probably wrong. I have an interview Thursday and may well get the job. Sometimes I think a lifetime of soft (and sometimes hard) discrimination colors my thinking. I hope I’m wrong and that I have a few more good years with the company. Frank and I aren’t ready to move to the Jersey countryside just yet.
Losing a job working for the same person for six years (I’ve only worked for two people in the decade I’ve been here) is emotional. Having the company taken over, then two years later a decisive management change that seemed brutal, left me with a kind of fever that needed time to cool. My boss will be just fine. And her boss (who I started working for in 2001) will be fine. Everyone will be just fine, including me. The fever breaks, and I’m left with a clearer head, the best kind of head with which to face the changes life brings. And decisions made from a fevered mind are most often bad decisions. What I would have done two weeks ago is not what I’ll do today. Cool down, breathe, let the clear air of a calm mind breeze into your thinking and you can choose from a place of clarity.]]>
A Wealth of Health with Cathy (introductory video)
This is an introductory video with Cathy McNease, who’ll be writing a regular column on health and well-being for those over-50 (this site’s audience). Cathy is my sister and she’s been in the field of Chinese medicine and herbology for four decades. Cathy is a nationally certified herbalist with a Diplomate in Chinese Herbology from the NCCAOM, a B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Western Michigan University and two Master Herbalist certificates from Emerson College of Herbology in Canada and East-West Course of Herbology in Santa Cruz. You can read her full biography on the left sidebar. I’m thrilled to have Cathy as a contributor to lgbtSr. She knows her stuff, and has been a trusted resource for me for many years, and a friend for life. Well, at least since I was adopted at the age of two and she rode in the car with me from Mississippi to Indiana. The journey comes full circle.]]>
INTERVIEW: Changing jobs upstream, with Michael Loman
“I think seniors have an advantage in one way: they are perceived to be more responsible, more reliable, more able to do excellent work with a positive attitude. Age and experience and responsibility definitely have impact in this area. People want to hire people who are reliable and who will do the job well.” – Michael Loman, Professor, Film and Television, Boston Unviersity
I’ve known Michael Loman, now a professor of film and television at Boston University, since we met in Los Angeles almost 20 years ago. We moved to New York City together in 1993 and have remained close friends ever since. When I wanted to do an interview with someone who changed careers later in life, Michael was the first person I thought of. He was faced with a sudden change, met the challenge and came out the other side doing just fine. Following is my interview with him, which he managed to do while preparing for his next semester in Boston.
lgbtSr: You had a successful career in television writing and producing, culminating with 10 years as the executive producer of Sesame Street. What was it like being faced with a career change in your 60s?
ML: It was like being knocked over and flattened by a big tornado. Now I know what Dorothy went through, but it could have been worse. I could have had a house fall on top of me. Obviously, it was devastating.
lgbtSr: When you found yourself having to think of the next step in your career, was there a process? Did you immediately think of teaching, or was there an evolution?
ML: There was an evolution. I tried several ventures that failed. One venture I tried was to set up private classes to teach television script writing. I paid a lot of money for brochures and ads and I hired a student to help place the brochures in colleges and private schools in New York. I later found out that she never placed any brochures anywhere but took the money I paid her each week. So this venture failed. Then you suggested I teach and I did have a background in teaching, but on a secondary school level before I began my writing career. I had no interest in teaching secondary school. Who wants to deal with those discipline problems at my age, or any age? Teachers go through hell. But teaching on a college level made much more sense. And besides, that is the appropriate level for teaching my subject matter which is writing television situation comedy scripts. So I created a syllabus for teaching this subject and applied to every college in the tri-state area that had a big television department. No one would hire me. One professor at Princeton University called me and almost had a stroke that I had had the temerity to suggest I might teach this at Princeton. Finally, the Co-chair of the Film department at Yale University actually picked up the phone when I called and suggested I apply to the seminar program that the various colleges at Yale sponsored.
This is a program that allows students to take courses that Yale does not teach. I did and my syllabus was accepted. The first day teaching I had over a hundred kids sitting in all the way down the hall trying to get one of the 15 spots in the class. The class worked out very well. The student evaluations were terrific. I taught this class for a few years and then the Co-Chair of the Film Department hired me to teach it and eventually other courses as an adjunct at Yale in the film department.
MARK’S CAFE MOI: 52 year old gay male executive assistant out of a job
Imagine you’re a woman executive assistant. Then imagine the other 50 or so other assistants are all men. Would it not occur to you that maybe there’s some gender bias going on? And any time you mention it, no one can believe it. They think it’s all in your head, despite your having lost every job you’ve applied for at this company for the last 10 years to a man.
Now flip it. I’m a 52 year old gay male executive assistant, the last of my kind in the company I work for. We’re a global operation and I’m in a global position, knowing pretty much everyone in the different regions. There used to be 3 or 4 male assistants in New York. Now there’s only me and one fellow whose title is ‘research assistant,’ and my job has been eliminated.
I’m not paranoid, I’m just observant and honest. I know the odds are not good for me getting an open executive assistant position when I’m competing with women in an environment where this is considered a woman’s job. Yes, the company touts its diversity efforts. Yes, it’s LGBT-friendly and all that. But the diversity awareness seems to stop when it comes to hiring an executive assistant. I don’t necessarily blame people; I don’t think they’re even aware of what they’re doing. But I know from many years of experience that most men in corporate management assume their assistant will be/should be a woman. Some of it, frankly, is homophobia, conscious or unconscious. I was lucky when I started here that the man who hired me couldn’t care less that I was a gay man. I did a good job and that’s all that mattered.
But I won’t fool myself. I’m in my 50s, I’m a man in a position held overwhelmingly by women, and I’m gay. A diversity triple-header if any of them thought about it, but they don’t. More to follow in the coming days . . .]]>