Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys

Pride Month symbolizes a vibrant celebration of LGBTQ+ communities and their achievements, while also serving as a poignant reminder to honor the stories of resilience and activism from earlier generations who endured a vastly different landscape.

The monthlong commemoration originated from the Stonewall uprising in 1969, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich Village gay bar, fought back against police harassment during a raid. It was an era when 49 states criminalized same-sex sexual intimacy and none granted legal recognition of same-sex relationships. The rebellion is considered a turning point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement because it sparked a series of protests and demonstrations demanding equal rights and protections for LGBTQ+ communities.

Even though discrimination persists against LGBTQ+ communities, young adults today are embracing their sexuality or gender identity with a level of acceptance that starkly contrasts with the experiences of previous generations, and are identifying as LGBTQ+ in much greater numbers. In the past, identifying as LGBTQ+ was not only daunting, but also potentially dangerous, as it frequently entailed facing the harsh realities of being unjustly fired from jobs, denied housing, shunned by one’s own family or even subjected to physical violence.

Advocates highlight the lasting fears of discrimination experienced by older adults in LGBTQ+ communities. They emphasize that concealing one’s identity upon entering elder care is a common phenomenon, driven by the concern of being subjected to mistreatment and prejudice.

WNYC spoke with some LGBTQ+ older adults in the New York City area to gain insight into their personal journeys. They shared their struggles, triumphs and perspectives on what Pride means to them.

Marie Spivey, 69

Marie Spivey is a Harlem native who now lives in the Bronx. She said she has long been an advocate for LGBTQ+ communities, but didn’t come out as a lesbian herself…