Today was honestly the BEST Learning Exchange Group. I was extremely happy to be able to attend despite the late timing. I was so excited to talk to elders who identified as LGBTQIA+. It is really hard to find elders or anyone who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community because sexual orientation and gender fluidity is not obvious. While some individuals may fit stereotypes of the community, one can never affirm one’s identity. Thus, I found it extremely comforting at the LGBT center because I could relate to everyone there at a personal level.
I conversed with 5 elder men who belonged to elderly gay men organization at the center. One of the men lived in the same apartment we visited earlier in the quarter at North Park, while another had been patiently waiting for over 2 years for the apartment. They reported that the North Park had been capped because the waitlist is over 500 people. Furthermore, I learned that one of the men was also a volunteer for Balboa Park Visitor Center. Despite being elderly, they still found time to participate in the San Diego Community, which again debunks the ageism stereotype that elders are senile and incapable. Because of his involvement to Balboa Park, I plugged in the Healthy Aging Project- the intergenerational walking event- on June 1st. Anyway, with the end of the song - The man in the Mirror sung by Michael Jackson- reminded our class of the deep rooted systemic racism of the American society.
I conversed with 5 elder men who belonged to elderly gay men organization at the center. One of the men lived in the same apartment we visited earlier in the quarter at North Park, while another had been patiently waiting for over 2 years for the apartment. They reported that the North Park had been capped because the waitlist is over 500 people. Furthermore, I learned that one of the men was also a volunteer for Balboa Park Visitor Center. Despite being elderly, they still found time to participate in the San Diego Community, which again debunks the ageism stereotype that elders are senile and incapable. Because of his involvement to Balboa Park, I plugged in the Healthy Aging Project- the intergenerational walking event- on June 1st. Anyway, with the end of the song - The man in the Mirror sung by Michael Jackson- reminded our class of the deep rooted systemic racism of the American society.