Nation's First Full-Time Center for LGBT Seniors to Open in NYC

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) announced today that Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults, has been awarded an Innovative Senior Center (ISC) contract to open the nation's first full-time center for LGBT seniors:

The SAGE Center, slated to open in January 2012, will include program sites in all five New York City boroughs—bringing a comprehensive array of services and support to LGBT elders throughout the city.

In addition to the robust array of programs SAGE currently provides at the LGBT Community Center and SAGE Harlem, the new Center will offer hot meals, programs covering issues from health and wellness to workplace skills, comprehensive social services, a wide range of social activities, and much more.

Said Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE: "SAGE is honored to have this opportunity to strengthen the programs and services we offer to address the unique needs of LGBT older people in New York City. Opening The SAGE Center has been our dream for many years. We are thrilled to be part of a bold initiative that emphasizes innovation in aging services; SAGE is committed to building program models that can be replicated in New York City and nationwide."

AARP Launches LGBT Microsite

The AARP has launched a website for older LGBT Americans. They write:

"Welcome to AARP's online home for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. This page is designed to spotlight articles on news, personal finance, relationships, travel and other topics of concern to older gay Americans, and their family and friends. It also provides information about AARP’s positions and advocacy efforts in this arena."

The site's initial articles include an interview with SAGE director Michael Adams, estate planning tips for LGBT couples, the gay man's guide to dating over 50, LGBT-friendly vacations, and an interview with Dan Savage.

Movies: Falling For 'Beginners'

 Christopher Plummer & Ewan McGregor, beautiful father/son casting in "Beginners"

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION
Have you ever found yourself wincing in premonitory fear that a gay character or theme will be mishandled by filmmakers or actors? Set those worries aside when approaching the expressive charming BEGINNERS. Though the story about a lonely bachelor artist Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his newly-out dying father Hal (Christopher Plummer) is fictionalized it has the stamp of the exquisitely personal about it. It's handmade, in other words, never to be mistaken for a movie made by committee. Writer/director Mike Mills' (Thumbsucker) own father came out of the closet when he was in his thirties and the film is an obviously loving tribute from son to father.

Gay characters in the movies are sometimes little more than caricatures and depictions still largely fall into "types". Older gay men have it especially rough in media representations; if they aren't altogether invisible they're desexualized or depicted as lonely and pitiable. Beginners won't have it like that. One could argue that it's practically heroic in its willful embrace of wholly human characters, no matter their age or sexual preference. Hal is played with lively curiousity by Christopher Plummer with that customary dark twinkle in his eye. (It's actually brilliant casting since Ewan McGregor is such a kindred spirit when it comes to those mischievous undercurrents. This is one of his best roles yet.) Though the film doesn't lionize Hal or pretend that his romance with a younger polyamorous lover (Goran Visnjic) is perfect, Beginners is nonjudgmental about all of its romantic entanglements. One might say, it shares a kinship with that great McGregor picture Moulin Rouge!, in its bohemian values. No one vocalizes it but you could easily lift a voiceover from one film to another.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." 

Even the dog -- the cutest screen terrier since Best in Show (2000) or even The Awful Truth (1937 !) --  knows what's what when it comes to the sanctity of loving relationships, whichever form they take.

Wait, there's a talking dog? MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

LGBT Stories: A Lesbian Finds Relief and Community In The 1970s

NATHAN MANSKE

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD.

We met Sandy in upstate New York at the SAGE offices. SAGE stands for Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, and I was glad to get some stories from folks who were a bit older than most others on IFD. Things are changing so quickly in terms of LGBT acceptance, it's nice to be reminded of what life was like in another time.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Recently in this series...
Gay Teen's Father Says Discussion with Bullies Put End to Harassment [tr]
Gay Wasilla Teen Met with Religious Fanatics at School, Support at Home [tr]
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray on Coming Out to the Media [tr]
Reflecting on a Father's Pride, a Grandmother's Fears [tr]
Mixed Race Gay Couple Faces Challenges and Triumphs from Within Family [tr]

News: Angry Bird, Tony Kushner, Pet Shop Boys, Dan Savage

David Mixner: Time to take care of our seniors.

Dan Savage series Savage U confirmed for MTV.

First look: Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures, starring Michael Cristofer, Linda Emond, Michael Esper and Steven Spinella, which plays Off-Broadway at the Public Theater.

Watch: Meat Loaf's epic Apprentice meltdown.

A former athlete talks about being gay at BYU.

Anti-gay vandal targets cars in northwest Washington D.C.: "A resident of the block said a homophobic epithet was scrawled on cars with a marking pen. It had apparently been done late Saturday or early Sunday, and at least six cars were involved, he said."

"AIDS-like" disease spreading in China? "Several Chinese media have recently reported that the Department of Health of Guangdong Province has confirmed that people in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong have fallen ill after being infected with an unknown virus. The patients think they have AIDS, but they test negative for HIV."

Pet Shop Boys to join Take That on tour.

New Beyoncé album due in June.

The Hangover 2 trailer filled with all the stereotypes, crude humor and gay jokes you've come to expect from Hollywood buddy flicks.

A real-life Angry Bird.

Kickstarter: Filmmaker Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar) planning documentary on the Continental Baths.

UK foreign office releases human rights report: "The report more extensively covers LGBT rights internationally than the previous year's, which was marked by a focus on Europe, but still shows major gaps. "

Scottish lesbian police officer wins discrimination case: "PC Tracey West was regularly taunted by Sergeant Michael Service who claimed gay officers were 'p**fs and freaks'. Sgt Service also made a jibe that her sexuality was an 'illness' and spoke about her civil partnership, asking who would 'wear the trousers' in the relationship."

Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth win coveted roles in film adaptation of The Hunger Games.

Lady Gaga to kick off Good Morning America Summer Concert Series.

Male model fix: Michael Camiloto.

Piers Morgan thinks Elton John wants him.

"Porno Pete" LaBarbera's Truth Academy fails again: "There were 17 vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived on Friday as registration was set to open, and only a few more came in before we left at 3:00. On Saturday, I counted 25 vehicles before the Truth* Academy lunch break, so let’s fix the number of vehicles at 25 on both days. At least two of those were the vehicles of police officers.

Watch: FOX News' Brit Hume left speechless during GE tax discussion.

Gay baiting by Molly Phelan against James Cappleman in Chicago City Council race? "Daniel Layman, a writer who lives in the ward, said he was contacted by a pollster who was engaged in push-polling, a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting an impartial poll.  'Knowing that [ Cappleman's ] only crime agenda is to plant flowers and hang out on Halsted Street, would you vote for him or [ Phelan ],' the pollster asked Layman."

Watch: What Was It Like to Come Out in the 1950's?

Can't wait to see more of these.

David Mixner writes:

"Phil Siegel, who was co-communications director at the National Equality March on Washington, was inspired watching the young marchers interacting with some of our pioneers. Upon his return to San Francisco, he organized a group of young people and created the Gay History Video Project. In the videos, the young activist interviewed the pioneers and in the process saved a valuable part of our LGBT history. This is a very exciting project."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...