For News of the Coalition and Upcoming Events of Interest
click on the link above to access the current newsletter.
There are lots of interesting Announcements below on this page, please scroll down.
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Steering Committee Meetings
are held on the 3rd Thursday of the month
This month, we’re having a “Holigay Party” and Networking Mixer at Pinthouse Pizza, instead of a meeting:
Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 4:00 pm
Please Register below if you’d like to attend
Join the Coalition on Aging and
Rainbow Connections ATX
FYI
The Steering Committee has been meeting on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 2:30 pm.
In response to a request from a member, we are going to begin meeting in the evenings once a quarter.
So our March 21, 2024 meeting will be at 6:30-7:30.
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The Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee Meetings are open to all. Members of the Coalition and ALL recipients of this email announcement are invited—and urged—to attend.
To continue the work of the Coalition, public participation is needed.
Please RSVP so we will expect you and know to admit you to the zoom room
Email contact@algbtcoa.org for more information or to RSVP
You’re Invited
Here’s the link to the meeting:
LGBT Steering Committee Meeting
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Steering Committee Membership
Membership is open to all regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, or gender identification. The Steering Committee meets monthly, almost always less than two hours. Currently those meetings are held virtually so there is no time spent in traffic. It’s a great opportunity to be more involved in the direction of the Coalition and get better acquainted with folks like yourself who are interested in improving the lives of LGBT seniors in Austin.
Steering Committee, please contact us at
The Coalition marched in the PRIDE Parade
A BIG THANK YOU to our planning partners at Rainbow Connections ATX. Thank you to our sponsor, The Helper Bees. And Thank you to our partners who joined us in the parade; Alzheimer’s Association, Austin Public Library, Care Patrol, LBJ Library, Book Woman, AARP Texas, Agency on Aging Capital of Texas, Helper Bees, Taylor PRIDE, Austin PRIDE, AGE of Central Texas, and the office of Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
Read the rest of the story with photos on About Us
Who We Are
The ALGBTCOA is a coalition of community activists, service agencies, LGBTQ organizations, and interested parties who have come together to improve the future for LGBT older adults as we naturally age. The Coalition hopes to encourage service providers and senior services to understand and train their staffs regarding the needs of LGBT clients, residents, and patients. The Coalition was formed to address the question: “What are the LGBT friendly services in Austin?” We would like to make all of them LGBT-friendly.
Read about the goals of the Coalition
GOLDEN GENERATION
A Meals on Wheels Senior Lunch
Mondays & Wednesday 10-1
More information on the “Golden Generation” is available on our website under the Senior Resources>Austin Resources>Senior Services tab.
Austin Chronicle looking for interviewees
The Austin Chronicle, is starting a series of stories on the lives of longtime Austinites. There’s no particular theme; they’re looking for folks born in the 30s and 40s who have lived in Austin for at least 30 years.
Maggie Q. Thompson, News Editor, invites older members of Austin’s queer community to participate. Click on the link above or contact her directly.
Maggie Q. Thompson
News Editor, The Austin Chronicle
512-202-6263
mthompson@austinchronicle.com
“Preparing for & Connecting During the Holidays” for Alzheimer’s caregivers.
These aren’t LGBT-specific, but it’s good info. They’re two in-person sessions “Preparing for & Connecting During the Holidays” for Alzheimer’s caregivers. It’s the same material, covered at two different times. COA Co-Chair Richard Bondi will be the presenter.
PlanningTGNB-webinar_Updated
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- All presentations
- Catered breakfast and lunch
- On-site parking
- Resource & Information Fair
- CEUs for SW, LPC, LMFT, or LCDC –
including 4 hours of Ethics CEUs!
(note that we do not have nursing CEUs)
Click Here to Register
Need to register multiple participants? Email Conference Chair Rob Faubion at RFaubion@AGEofCentralTX.org.
In observance of World AIDS Day, WhatsintheMirror present its 4th Annual Arts Heals Festival including the 7th Annual BlaQ Awards and the HIV Planning Council Community STAR Awards. This three-day multidisciplinary art festival will highlight social justice issues and advocate to eliminate HIV and mental health stigma through a healing justice framework starting December 1st, 2023 through December 3rd, 2023. This year’s community partners include the City of Austin’s HIV Planning Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and Avita Pharmacy. CLICK ON IMAGE TO REGISTER AT EVENTBRITE
The City’s World AIDS day event is part of the Art Heals Festival. https://www.austintexas.gov/event/worlds-aids-day-event.
SURVEYS
Here’s an opportunity to get your real life experiences recognized
If you’re LGBTQIA+ and live in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Hays, or Caldwell County, it’s important that you take our LGBTQIA+ Wellbeing Survey of Greater Austin. Your answers are completely anonymous and help us track and measure our community’s health, wealth, and happiness so we know what you need to thrive here in Central Texas.
Take Our Survey at QWELLBEING.ORG
Austin LGBTQ History
The Watson Chateau – Austin’s Well-Kept Secret
Hiding on University of Texas at Austin campus, next to the School of Nursing, a peculiar building peeks out from behind old trees, tall fencing, thick vines, and overgrown bushes. Unlike all the other buildings on campus, no sign announces the university-owned Arthur P. Watson-Robert “Bob” Garrett House (a.k.a. The Chateau or Watson Chateau). It is a place filled with under-told history about women, African-Americans, and 50 years of importance to the LGBTQ community. If you visited The Chateau, have photos/videos, or simply heard stories, please contact Marta Stefaniuk at watsonchateau@gmail.com to help her continue collecting its vital history.
Read more about the Chateau and why this old building is of importance to Austin LGBTQ history
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There’s a National Historic Site-Based History Project developing. Click here to read about it and to participate in a survey about your interest in LGBTQ history.
The ALGBTCOA is sponsoring The Memory Project: LGBTQ History in Austin. Please take a look at our page on this website. Please consider contributing your story.
The national organization SAGE will be undertaking a new strategic direction – with a special emphasis on those elders previously left behind.
Read about SAGE’s outreach to more sectors of our community
In Face of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism, 200 Senior Living Communities Commit to LGBTQ+ Inclusion, Participating in Inaugural Long Term Care Equality Index (LEI) by HRC Foundation and SAGE
Click here to access the report and see the LGBTQ+ inclusive senior facilities around the US
The FTC has recently received a number of consumer reports about remote job scams targeting the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. We’ve posted an alert to make people aware of this scam trend. We’re asking LGBTQ+ partners like you to help us spread the word.
Please share this link and attached graphic: Looking for a remote job for a cause you care about? Here’s how to know if it’s a scam with your networks.
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Check out the Announcements in the current Newsletter (above) for
QWELL events, Austin PRIDE,
Rainbow Connections ATX, etc
SERVICES
City of Austin
LGBTQ Quality of Life Study
Click here to download the Quality of Life Survey Findings from our website
Click here to download the full Report, titled Priorities for Action, from our website
Click here to download the Travis County Snapshot from the American Communities Survey with interesting demographics (Note: LGBTQ stats were not included in this 2021 survey.)
QWELL is a sister organization to the Coalition on Aging; from the first Townhall Meeting that saw the creation of the ALGBTCOA, we were charged with participating in the development of an LGBTQ Community Center. QWELL, headed up by Clayton Gibson, has been a leader in that effort and in the recent community surveys.
Click here to make your donation to support MASSIVE PROGRESS for LGBTQIA+ people in Greater Austin
What the Coalition did last year:
Annual General Meeting 2023
At the October 2023 General Meeting, three new members were elected to the Steering Committee: Westley Swihart (of CarePatrol Austin), Jordyn Ames (of Mir Senior Care & Care Consultants, Inc.), and Maya Kern (of Humana). Evan Chiappinelli (of The Helper Bees) stepped down as co-chair but remains on the Steering Committee. Richard Bondi (of The Rainbow Connection ATX at Family Eldercare) was elected Co-chair with Faith Lane (of The Alzheimer’s Association, Capital of Texas). Stephanie Braddock (of Mir Senior Care & Care Consultants, Inc.) continues as Secretary. Toby Johnson (at-large) continues as Treasurer and website manager. Also continuing on the Steering Committee are Fred Lugo (of engAGE Travis County) and Charles Curry (at-large).
Annual dues continue at $0.00.
Annual Report 2022
This has been an encouraging year for the Coalition with the addition of some new members to the Steering Committee with all kinds of new ideas and energy. Their enthusiasm along with the generous support of the The Helper Bees resulted in our first participation in Austin’s PRIDE parade this year. Part of the original impetus for forming the Coalition several years ago came from a young lady who questioned the lack of input in Austin’s Age-Friendly Plan by saying, “we don’t all wear little bitty bathing suits and ride on floats you know.” We didn’t succeed in getting her on the float this year and there weren’t a lot of “little bitty bathing suits,” but LGBT Seniors were loud and proud for PRIDE!
In addition to having fun we also continued to take care of the business side of an organization, moving from the financial sponsorship of AustinUP to our own bank account and acquiring insurance protection for our governing board. In our meeting this month we established rates for sponsoring organizations and will be welcoming those as we continue to provide advocacy for our community.