AARP DC: Celebrating Generations of Pride

dancing, and fun! Registration is required, and space is limited. For more information and to get tickets, visit: https://dcblackpride.org/ schedule.htm.

In addition, make sure you keep an eye out for AARP DC at this year’s Pride Parade taking place on June 10th. If you are planning to attend, AARP DC and volunteers will be walking the route!

For the estimated 3 million LGBTQ+ Americans age 50 and older, the past five decades have brought triumphs that were once unimaginable, from the birth of the pride movement to marriage equality. But now this generation faces a new set of challenges when it comes to aging with dignity.

LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to be single and live alone as straight counterparts, and four times as likely to be childless. Older LGBTQ+ adults often face greater social isolation and many struggle to find a caregiver. This can lead to profound consequences on both their physical and mental health. Over the years, AARP DC has partnered with many groups and organizations throughout the District to address this issue head on, including working with Us Helping Us, Mary’s House, Whitman Walker Health, and the Department on Aging and Community Living.

AARP has vocally supported legislation at national level, including the Equality Act, which has been introduced in the US Congress. AARP has also worked in the courts to help advance the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to ensure they are not discriminated against.

In 2018, AARP Foundation’s legal team provided critical support for Lambda Legal’s litigation on behalf of Marsha Wetzel, a lesbian senior who alleged harassment and discrimination in her senior living community. In Wetzel v. Glen St. Andrew Living Community, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a groundbreaking decision holding that a landlord may be held liable under the Fair Housing Act for failing to protect a tenant from known, discriminatory harassment at the hands of other tenants.

In the guiding words of AARP founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus,

“What we do, we do for all.” AARP DC will continue to offer tools, programs and services to support LGBTQ+ District residents.