This Pride Month, AGE+ and the Oregon LGBTQ+ Aging Coalition are excited to tell you more about their new partnership, grounded in our shared commitment to LGBTQIA2S+ older adults across Oregon.
The Coalition began when a small group of LGBTQIA2S+ older adults came together to share resources, support each other, and address a clear gap: Oregon lacked a statewide movement focused on their needs and experiences. Through research, education, and advocacy, the Coalition set out to improve the well-being of LGBTQIA2S+ older adults.
AGE+ shares this vision. As an organization dedicated to creating opportunities across longer lives, AGE+ recognizes the importance of ensuring LGBTQIA2S+ older adults are fully reflected in aging policy, services, and community life. Together, our organizations are united in elevating lived experience, strengthening connection, and making sure everyone can age with dignity.
Today, this work is moving forward. With AGE+ as its fiscal sponsor, the Coalition is growing its ability to promote visibility, belonging, and safety for LGBTQIA2S+ older Oregonians.
Pride is about both celebration and commitment. It is a time to honor the joy that comes from living authentically and embracing who we are, individually and collectively, while recognizing the strength found in community.
LGBTQIA2S+ older adults in Oregon have shaped communities, created spaces where people belong, cared for each other, and helped build a more inclusive future. Still, research in Oregon shows that many LGBTQIA2S+ older adults face discrimination, unmet needs, isolation, and barriers to being fully seen and respected in aging systems. One example is that recent findings show transgender and nonbinary people were often misgendered on death certificates, which highlights why visibility and dignity are still so important.
We know progress is possible. Oregon has made important steps to protect LGBTQIA2S+ older adults, like passing Oregon Senate Bill 99 and starting statewide efforts to improve safety and rights in care settings. Now is the time to keep building on that progress.
This month, we invite you to join us. Learn more, talk about these issues with your networks, and support efforts that help LGBTQIA2S+ older adults age with connection, respect, and joy.
Together, we can help make Oregon a place where everyone is seen, valued, and supported as they age.
Resources and Actions for Pride Month
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Learn more about the Respect After Death Act project and ways to support the effort ahead of the 2027 legislative session
- As the effort to create Oregon’s multi-sector plan for aging ramps up, there are opportunities for you to share your stories, serve on committees, and take part in our shared future. Go to sharedfutureoregon.org to learn more.
- Learn more about Oregon’s queer history! Visit the Oregon Historical Society or the Queer History Collective to learn who shaped the queer liberation movement.
- Attend a Pride event near you. Visit Pride Northwest to find an event to support and celebrate!
- Donate to the Oregon LGBTQ+ Aging Coalition by clicking here.
- Check out Brandy Penner on OPB’s Think Out Loud to learn more.
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