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| Lavender Seniors of the East Bay was founded in November 1994 by about 20 women and men. Some who attended that first meeting were long-time activists who were eager to organize as East Bay lesbian and gay seniors. We wanted to make our presence and needs better known, not only within the lesbian and gay community but also in mainstream society. The 1994 Alameda County Senior Needs Assessment had identified older lesbians and gays as an under-served special needs population, so we had reason to believe that the time was right for a grass-roots senior-run group to advocate for our needs to the general public and to government agencies and mainstream providers of senior services. Others who came to that first meeting were looking for social activities and contacts within our age group. Still others were just beginning to come out to our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers and needed support and encouragement. But whatever our reasons for coming, we were glad to see that we were not alone and that a lot of energy and enthusiasm was waiting to be tapped. |  |
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We’re especially proud of one fact about Lavender Seniors. From
the very beginning, we’ve been determined to stick together
as women and men,
and not let the differences in our experiences and needs as gay men and lesbians
keep us separated.
United, we are much stronger — and we have a better
time! So on our Advisory Board and committees and in all of our
activities,
we make a deliberate effort to maintain a balance in gender. More
recently, we’ve realized we need to be more widely inclusive,
so those who
identify themselves as bisexual or who are part of the transgender community can
also feel welcome. We welcome
as well those who are questioning their identifies,
or those who don’t identify with any labels, which are never adequate anyway
because they tend to hide the variety and complexity of our actual lives and
experiences. We also appreciate very much the
support of our heterosexual
friends, family members, and allies in other social groups and movements. Lavender Seniors is a member of the East Bay LGBT Aging Coalition which promotes advocacy and community support throughout the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa on behalf of LGBT elders for the development and expansion of senior services to improve the accessibility and quality of care for this underserved older adult community.
We started using our distinctive logo back in 1996, after we called
for submissions of designs by any interested artist.
Several excellent designs
were submitted. The winning logo was created by the late Doris Wilkins, a
life-long artist and active
Lavender Senior. We are proud to honor her memory by
continuing to use her very attractive design.
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510-667-9655
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office@lavenderseniors.org |