![]() To accommodate those who could no longer travel to classes, the group then tried a different tactic and developed a website called Stonewall Seniors to keep people connected. But, as successful as their LLI was, they still faced the growing challenges of their aging population who found difficulties in transportation and accessibility especially in the winter. One of the first lessons learned was the value of partnering with an established and resourced organization. This new venue provided a means to organize people for social and educational endeavors. As a result, there was a groundswell of opportunities to engage LGBT older adults through congregate meal sites and other social groups that were forming specifically for LGBTQ older adults.ĭuring this renaissance for the older LGBTQ community, Fisher’s group explored a new avenue-the idea of lifelong learning-and started New England’s first LGBTQ LLI at Wheelock College (which later moved to UMass Boston’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). Manhunt became an eager partner, but the project soon became too time-consuming to bring into fruition.Īround this time in Massachusetts, the elder service network was becoming increasingly inclusive and competent around the idea of LGBTQ older adults. The group did their research and learned about a division within Manhunt that was committed to helping the LGBTQ community. The hope was that these organizations could help them by using their sophisticated system of online communication to connect older LGBTQ adults, not for similar hook-ups but for social contact. The three saw a huge potential in the rapid rise of online hook-up sites that were taking over the social scene in the community. Once the bar scene faded from people’s agendas, there was nothing left to bring older people together. Twenty years ago, Alice Fisher, 79, from Boston’s South End along with her friends David Aronstein and Michael Connolley began discussing ideas to organize the dispersed LGBTQ older adult community. ![]() But there is a group of people who have been working on a virtual meeting space for many years, long before anyone heard of COVID-19 or social distancing. Organizers and participants see this switch as a temporary compromise until everyone can be back in person again. Since the coronavirus changed the social landscape for everyone all over the world, many groups and organizations pivoted to reconnect people using online platforms like Zoom and Webex. (From left:) Alice Fisher, Anyah Prasad and Michael Immel at a socially distanced planning meeting for the LGBTQ Virtual Senior Center. ![]()
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