Yeah, life can be tough for queer elders, even when discrimination isn’t overt or intentional. Lisa’s case is an example of overt discrimination and a failure of compassion. Reggie’s is more typical, though, in that nobody purposely acted to hurt him, at least not on an institutional level. He faced what so many LGBTQ people face as we age, the idea that we have to leave our chosen communities at some point in order to receive medical care or life assistance. Sadly, many of the spaces where we can go are not LGBTQ-affirming, and few organizations (with SAGE as a stand-out example) recognize that problem or work to address it.

The “back in the closet when you get old” phenomenon, while widely recognized, has no clear villains. It’s more a lack of engaged angels.