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Honoring the Silver in the Rainbow
While we honor and celebrate older LGBTQ+ adults in our region on this day, let’s recognize that the fight is not over. King County LGBTQ+ older adults encounter disproportionately high barriers to healthy aging, including housing affordability, social isolation, and a lack of LGBTQ+-affirming healthcare and senior services.
For close to a decade, GenPride has provided programming to address these service gaps, for and with the many diverse intersectionalities in our community. GenPride’s 3rd Annual Pillars of Pride Awards is a time to celebrate and honor this generation of elders who fought—and won—many of the rights we enjoy today. Without their tremendous courage in the face of hatred, discrimination and violence, our community would be very different. This year’s honorees include:
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Dean R. Sargent – Bridging Legacies
Dean Sargent, one of the first openly gay attorneys in Washington State, remains an active force for positive change into his 80’s.
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Paul Green – Building Belonging
For more than four decades, Paul Green has worked tirelessly to address the needs of LGBTQ+ persons of color. He continues the work through the Unity Fellowship Senior Outreach Ministry, which addresses the needs of older LGBTQ+ people, and recently opened the Jackson Street Collective, a barber shop that serves as a gathering space for community organizing.
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Alma Goddard – Community Catalyst
“We humans are born sacred,” said Alma Goddard, a 73-year-old Chicana, Two-Spirit cultural worker, advocate, activist, elder and healing practitioner and second-generation adoptee of Ódami Tepehuán ancestry continues her catalytic work as an elder. “For many reasons, many of us have forgotten that we are worthy of the deepest unconditional respect, connection, happiness and love. My path is remembering and helping others remember … . We are born sacred.”
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Christine Wheeler-Sinclair – Iconic Artistry
Christine Wheeler-Sinclair is an LGBTQ+ elder who has devoted her life to challenging conventionality, advocating for real, revolutionary change within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond through art and activism. Chris wants to celebrate and recognize art by women of color.
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Isaac Payne – Building Belonging
Isaac has played a pivotal role in shaping the Black LGBTQ community in Seattle through years of dedicated organizing, board leadership, and mentorship. Through his unwavering commitment to Black Pride, Isaac has left an enduring legacy of empowerment and resilience within the Seattle Black LGBTQ community.
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Rita Smith – Volunteer Virtuoso
Rita Smith identifies as an 80-year-old Lesbian (she/her). She was active in launching the Lesbian Resource Center (LRC), serving as a board member and a group facilitator, and recently helped facilitate forums on building bridges between lesbian and trans women for Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC).
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Pride Across the Bridge – Rainbow Partnership
Pride Across the Bridge (PAB) is a nonprofit dedicated to reshaping the narrative that Seattle holds all of the support for our diverse 2SLGBTQIA+ community. PAB caters to the array of interests and needs of the Eastside community, including hosting monthly lunches for older adults.
May 16 is Honor Our LGBT Elders Day. Join us in honoring the thousands of people in the LGBTQ+ community who have paved the way for access and social acceptance.
Contributor Judi Kinney is executive director of GenPride, Seattle and King County’s resource for LGBTQIA+ aging. For information about programs and services, visit genprideseattle.org, call GenPride’s resource and referral line at 206-393-3400, or e-mail info@genprideseattle.org.