Last October, New Jersey legalized same-sex marriage. This milestone came on top of the already-in-place New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. New Jersey has anti-bullying measures to help protect LGBT students, state law that deters hate crimes against LGBT individuals and recently enacted legislation banning gay conversion therapy for minors — only the second state in the country to do so.
We’ve come a long way since the days when homosexuality was considered a psychiatric disorder and illegal. A gay youth today has a growing number of protections and resources that will help him or her live openly. The progress we’ve made to date is due in large part to the LGBT civil-rights pioneers who fought for equality and respect. From the defining moment of the Stonewall Riots in 1969 to now, these individuals have been fighting for our cause. It’s thanks to them that there are health clinics and community centers, a war on bullying, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” marriage equality as an important social issue, etc.
But with their fight came many sacrifices. As a result of simply being themselves, many were not able to secure steady jobs that paid well. Without legal same-sex marriage and often lacking family support, many LGBT senior citizens have found themselves lacking financial stability and alone. In many mainstream retirement homes, seniors face discrimination from other residents. I even knew one man whose fellow residents tried to “pray the gay away” from him on a daily basis.
How can we let this happen? How can we let our senior citizens — who have done so much for the LGBT community — just drift away into the night? They made it their job to take care of us and, now, when they need us the most, we abandon them? It’s unfair, it’s unjust and it wasn’t going to happen on my watch.
Enter the John C. Anderson Apartments: $19.5 million of LGBT-friendly, affordable senior housing in Philadelphia. The project was funded through a Philadelphia HOME grant, Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The project, one of the first in the nation, went up in record time, with overwhelming support from federal, state and local elected officials and the local Philadelphia community. (The only other constructed LGBT-friendly, low-income, senior housing is Triangle Housing, opened in Los Angeles in 2005. Another project is under construction in Chicago.)
The dmhFund didn’t ask for a single dime from the local LGBT community. We broke ground on Nov. 9, 2012, construction finished last month and residents have already begun moving in.
The hardest part of this journey hasn’t been constructing a brand-new apartment complex in under 14 months, securing funding or getting approvals. It was witnessing firsthand just how much this type of housing is needed in our community.
I saw the plight of my fellow pioneers. I knew people who marched in the streets for equality, but who could no longer make it up the three flights of stairs to the only apartment they could afford. I heard from couples who had to hide their love in order to live in a neighborhood they could afford. Some who received assistance had to hide their true identities for fear of losing their social services. I became aware of the hidden struggles of many, unwilling to ask for help, who have come out about their sexuality but are still in the closet when it comes to their financial situation. Many live in less-than-ideal situations, no matter the condition or their treatment, rather than be honest about themselves or their finances.
Witnessing the true suffering and the obstacles low-income LGBT senior citizens in our community face, I knew that the John C. Anderson Apartments could address not just the needs of someone who was gay, or a senior or low-income — it needed to address the entire person. That’s why we’ve partnered with four Philadelphia organizations to meet the potential needs of our future residents: Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia’s LGBT health-care and wellness center; ActionAIDS. a Philadelphia-based organization committed to creating an AIDS-free generation; the William Way LGBT Community Center, a Philadelphia community center that seeks to encourage, support and advocate for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities; and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for older Philadelphians. Each organization, all of which already work with local LGBT senior citizens, will provide social services for our residents. With their help, we’ve created not just a place for our residents to live, but a home — a safe, welcoming environment where they can finally live their true lives.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected].