The John C. Anderson Apartments, an LGBT-friendly affordable housing complex for seniors, will hold its second Intergenerational Play Date event this month. Employees from Philadelphia Family Pride (PFP) the Office of LGBT Affairs and the William Way Community Center worked hand in hand to organize the event.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, guests can engage in a variety of board games, Legos and storybooks, and enjoy healthy snacks and conversation.
“The activities are meant to give the kids and the elders things to bond and talk over,” Evan Thornburg said in an email. She initially conceived of the idea along with PFP board chair Tariem Burroughs. “We are planning to make these more expansive as the weather gets better, and we can go outside for things like picnics,” Thornburg said.
Thornburg, the former deputy director of the Office of LGBT Affairs and current director of training and program development for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, had initially met with Burroughs to ask residents of JCAA about their needs as seniors living in the community.
“The elders talked a lot about feeling segregated [or] isolated from other age groups, particularly youth and children,” Thornburg said. “One of the leading issues that contributes to declining health for anyone, but especially LGBTQ elders, is isolation and loneliness. Most LGBTQ elders are single, so being alone is an experience many of them struggle with and often in silence.”
The Movement Advancement Project reports that over 2.7 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults aged 50 and above are living in the U.S. According to the organization SAGE, which advocates for LGBTQ elders, older members of the LGBTQ community are twice as likely to live alone than their straight and/or cisgender peers. They are also half as likely to have significant others or close relatives on whom they can rely, and four times less likely to have children who can help care for them.
“It is so critical for us to have relationships across generations to learn from each other and for everyone to be emotionally and socially stimulated,” Stephanie Haynes, executive director of PFP, said in an email.
Katherine Allen, who identifies as a lesbian, has been living in the apartment building since 2018 and attended the first intergenerational event.
“I think it’s about community, and I think it’s really good for everybody. It’s good for us older [people] to share our vibe and our history with kids,” she said. “It’s always good to have relations with people of all ages, especially if you don’t have an extended family.”
Going forward, Allen would like to see more people of varying age groups attend these playdates, as most of the non-JCAA attendees of the previous event were around the age of seven and below.
“I think that’s one thing we’re missing in our community is the 20 to 30-somethings or teens,” Allen said. “When I first moved to Philadelphia, in 2013, I volunteered at the Attic, and I facilitated a class one or two times a week [which] was called Tell Your Story. I know it was rewarding for me, and I think it was rewarding for the young people at the Attic.”
All of the organizers stressed the importance of regularly hosting intergenerational social events in which LGBTQ seniors can form bonds with their fellow community residents of varying ages. The team also hopes to try out events in which attendees teach each other skills and tell stories, Haynes mentioned.
“LGBT intergenerational events… are unique opportunities for LGBT older adults to share their life experiences with our youth,” Ed Miller, senior programs coordinator at William Way, said in an email.
“Seniors share fun and joyful stories and stories about when there was great fear of being harmed, arrested or sent to mental institutions just for being who they were. These stories open up good conversations that help to educate the younger generations about our history while offering hope and encouragement for their futures.”
Thornburg echoed these sentiments and communicated her passion for facilitating these kinds of community events for LGBTQ seniors.
“I love doing things for them that give them space to be themselves and be social beyond their direct residents,” she said.
“In the LGBTQ community, we can often be myopic in our focus, which usually skews toward youth issues — very necessary and important of course. And our LGBTQ events, spaces, and celebrations really target young and middle-aged adults. Our elders are beautiful spirits that want to be with us, so the response to inclusion has usually been joy, and I love it.”
The Intergenerational Play Date will take place on Feb. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 251 S. 13th Street in Philadelphia.