Older LGBT Americans removed from survey
According to a report in the Washington Blade, older LGBT Americans have been quietly erased from the The National Survey of Older Americans. The move has not gone unnoticed as nearly 18 U.S. Senators signed a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary, Thomas Price, in protest.
The survey is extremely important because it is a national sample of programs on aging funded by Title III of the Older Americans Act. The purpose of this survey is to provide concrete metrics for collecting data on Title III programs. In turn, the numbers are used to make the case for various funding initiatives.
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LGBT persons were added to the survey in 2014 after pushing hard for inclusion. Apparently, those provisions have been erased. Now, many within the LGBT spectrum who offer life sustaining services to older members of the community, like senior centers, home-delivered meals, family caregiver support, transportation, and other important support mechanisms.
Michael Adams, The CEO of Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders [SAGE] is ringing the alarm bells. He had the following to say, as reported in South Florida Gay News:
“It's not just technical data. It determines how billions of dollars in elder services are distributed every year. Eliminating [LGBT seniors] is just outrageous. If they're not asking questions [about LGBT seniors], then they're not going to be able to address their needs. Clearly, the trump administration does not care about their needs.”
Adams believes the anti-LGBT erasure has been on the agenda from Trump’s first day in office.
“On his very first day of his presidency, they were erasing LGBT pages from the White House website. Transgender student [bathroom rights] came right after that. This is one very egregious step. In some ways, the most egregious because it is denying the very existence of LGBT seniors. It's truly pernicious.”
Mr. Adams said he is hopeful Congress will take action and get the questions reinstated. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 18 U.S. Senators, including Republican Susan Collins, strongly requested the questions be put back in.
h/t Washington Blade & SFGN
