<H2><b>GAY, LESBIAN, TRANSGENDER, HIV/AIDS AGED CARE CRISIS</b></H2>

AGED CARE CRISIS
It seems the US government can grant SAGE, the country’s oldest and largest GLBT aged care advocacy organisation $900 million to establish a National Centre for Information on GLBT Ageing, in partnership with several organisations across the country, but here we have yet to see one lousy dollar go to any organisation, gay or not, to work with GLBTI elders.
We have a federal government nearing its first term of office, yet still it has chosen not to recognise that GLBTI elders are the most seriously neglected, invisible and afraid in our aged care system, and do something as a matter of urgency.
One wonders how long it will take before our PM makes an announcement similar to President Obama and Secretary Sibelius about GLBT aged care.
As people continue to live in hiding in nursing homes, go back into the closet when home carers are coming around, and threaten suicide rather than have to rely on homophobic staff in institutions, we continue to claim that gay marriage is the issue of the day. Not for me and not for elders in nursing homes.
I live in hope that our federal government will finally recognise our elders for the special needs group that they are, and support our organisations to provide advocacy and meet needs as a matter of urgency. We have no time to waste; ACT-UP showed us what to do in such a crisis.
— Dr Jo Harrison