Each May, we are asked to pause and recognize Older Americans Awareness Month. It is usually framed around gratitude and support. But for those of us in the LGBTQ community, especially here in Broward County, May is more than a reminder. It is a reckoning. Our elders are still with us. And too often, their stories are not.
Broward County is home to more than 375K residents age 65 and older, representing nearly 19 percent of the population. Florida consistently ranks among the states with the highest proportion of older adults, and Broward reflects that reality every day in our neighborhoods, clinics, and community spaces. But statistics alone do not tell the full truth. Especially not for LGBTQ older adults.
Nationally, an estimated 3 million LGBTQ adults are now over age 50. That number is expected to more than double to nearly 7 million by 2030. Many came of age in a time when being openly gay or trans could cost you a job, a family, or your safety. That matters today because research shows LGBTQ older adults face higher rates of isolation, poverty, disability, and delayed care compared to their heterosexual peers.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that about 65 percent of LGBTQ adults reported experiencing discrimination in daily life, and nearly 1 in 5 avoided medical care out of fear of mistreatment. In Broward County, these realities intersect with culture, race, immigration, and income. More than 34 percent of Broward residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and nearly 37 percent are foreign-born. Aging while LGBTQ in this county often means navigating multiple systems at once. Which brings us back to May. Older Americans Awareness Month is not just about honoring age. It is about acknowledging lived history.
LGBTQ elders are living archives. They remember when health care was hostile, when partners were not recognized, when stigma was policy, not opinion. For younger generations, knowing our elders is not about nostalgia. It is about continuity. History is safer when it is remembered by the people who lived it. This May, ask an elder to tell their story and make sure it is not lost again.
