Retirement Communities: Now With More Gay

Do You See Yourself in a Gay Retirement Community?

Seymour Sirota, 79, who moved to RainbowVision retirement community with his partner.

My friends and I often joke about life together in our gay golden years, which seem to get only slightly less surreal as they steadily inch their way toward us. We wax poetic about celebrating silver and golden wedding anniversaries, reminiscing about what the 70s were REALLY like, and listening to gays who pioneered the gayby boom brag about their grandchildren. Of course we'll look better than our straight senior counterparts thanks to good moisturizers.

We also talk about where this will all take place. Will we gravitate to our favorite vacation haunts of Provincetown, Palm Springs and Fort Lauderdale, or remain in our urban gayborhoods? Or, will we take part in a new retirement trend we used to only dream about: gay retirement communities. 

USA Today had a smart piece yesterday about gay retirement communities, with an emphasis on RainbowVision, one such gay and lesbian "village" located in Sante Fe. I have to commend USA Today since, once again, the way in which they write about gay topics is refreshingly natural. It's topical, but doesn't talk about the GLBT community in a marginalized or sensationalized way. Other mainstream media outlets could take a lesson here. Not only that, but they do a good job of pointing out some of the inequalities gays face (no Social Security survivor benefits, taxable inheritance events that real married people aren't subject to, etc.)

At RainbowVision, "residents can eat in El Centro's cafeteria, work out in the Billie Jean King Fitness Center & Spa, book a massage, take a yoga or Pilates class, soak in a hot tub, sign up for physical therapy and acupuncture, or treat themselves to facials.  There are art studios, meeting rooms, a lounge and cabaret. Assisted-living apartments on the top floor are an option when residents grow frail but don't want to leave."

It seems only natural that gay retirement communities would come to exist. For many people, they can serve as an important lifeline, a way to stay connected to people with whom they have something in common. They also can provide important medical care for GLBT patients who might not get what they need from mainstream healthcare because of homophobia or other factors.

I'm 100% for gay retirement communities sprouting up as a much-needed alternative for lots of gay men and lesbians. As for me ... I don't know exactly how I will feel about moving to such a place. On the one hand, having a cabaret onsite surrounded by my gay tribe sounds like it could be a fun, supportive and healthy environment. On the other, I kind of like living with gay and straight people around me -- you know, the way the world is supposed to be. And besides, who else is going to tell my straight friend that he should never ever wear those socks with that outfit?

What about you?

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