Gay retirement homes

November 22, 2002 9:10 AM

TV night or a drag show? Gay retirement homes are starting to open as the Stonewall Generation grows old. A study by the Brookdale Centre on Ageing at Hunter College in New York found that fewer than one in five elderly gays have a life partner and only one in ten has children. By contrast, nearly half the overall general senior population has a spouse and four in five have children. America’s first, of course, was in Florida.
posted by gottabefunky (13 comments total)

Despite the somewhat arch tone of the article, I think this is a grand idea. With luck, there will be one in an area where I would want to live by the time I need it. I really do consider Florida to be uninhabitable.
posted by SealWyf at 10:28 AM on November 22, 2002

Why am I picturing row upon row of incredibly well decorated Airstream trailers?
posted by jonmc at 10:45 AM on November 22, 2002

gay retirement homes? where are the gay scissors, gay can openers and gay monkey wrenches?
posted by quonsar at 11:11 AM on November 22, 2002

oh, you must have meant LAME retirement homes. nothing new there.
posted by quonsar at 11:12 AM on November 22, 2002

where are the gay scissors, gay can openers and gay monkey wrenches?

In my gay desk, gay kitchen and gay garage.
posted by archimago at 11:23 AM on November 22, 2002

More self-imposed separationism for the gay crowd. Lovely.

Though if the orderlies wear really tight pants, I guess I wouldn't mind.
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:18 PM on November 22, 2002

Well, Wolfie, we won't let you live with us then! It'll beat Century Village by a long shot!

It's a great idea, and a lot of regular retirement communities (esp. in Florida) don't sell to two men or one single man (although sometimes two women can get in)...And already Fort Lauderdale is becoming a defacto Gay Retirement Community...I'd go live in one of these when i'm older (but never in Florida!)
posted by amberglow at 1:20 PM on November 22, 2002

'kay amberglow but when one day you and your gay go to the gay to buy more gay so you can retire at gay, remember you'll need to put your gay in your gay so that your gay will be gay, otherwise the gay won't let you gay to that gay! :-)
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:22 PM on November 22, 2002 [2 favorites]

ok wolf (marklar)! It's like my grandparents--they worked like dogs their whole lives-both working more than one job usually, and finally got to enjoy life during retirement...they moved to Century Village, where there were tons of other old jewish couples from the Northeast...there's nothing wrong with that, and there's nothing wrong with this.

It's not separationist--these places will never compare to the big gated, enclosed Century Villages with clubhouses and golf courses, and shows, but they'll be nice communities, and no one will have to be closeted or afraid...that's a lot! esp. for people who didn't grow up "out"...also, to be 70 or 80 something in a city is not that fun, unless you have money....
posted by amberglow at 2:36 PM on November 22, 2002

Marklar. Heh.

I don't have any objection to those that wish to use these communities, other than it's now entirely possible to be a completely homogenized homosexual from (almost) birth to grave.

I dunno, I just got an oogy feeling imagining a bunch of 85 year old Castro Clones :-)
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:05 PM on November 22, 2002

It'll be hysterical--i'm going to love seeing 85 year old Chelsea boys running around on crystal! and the bad plastic surgery alone'll be worth it! (it'll be like the AbFab where they flashed forward to when Patsy and Edwina were old)
posted by amberglow at 3:37 PM on November 22, 2002

Next up: Designer colostomy bags by Calvin Klein. Hernia trusses by Abercrombie and Fitch. Fashionable support hose by 10 Percent.

Okay, I have to stop, I'm scaring myself now.
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:55 PM on November 22, 2002

Is this even legal? Can you advertise "For Gay Seniors Only"? Couldn't this be construed as some sort violation of open housing or public accomodations laws?
posted by MikeMc at 10:15 PM on November 22, 2002