Queer filmmaker Stu Maddux’s award winning film GEN SILENT about the plight facing many LGBTQ seniors is now 10 years old. That makes us all 10 years closer for all of us to have to personally confront the issues that his very moving documentary covered.
Most of the seniors in the Film are LGBT people who fought the earliest and hardest battles for equality that paved the way for all of us. Sadly as their health declines and need to move into some sort of assisted living they now face so much fear about discrimination or worse.
So many of these establishments are Faith based and traditional conservative and are so unfriendly to LGBT folk that queer seniors are forced back into the closet to get the care they need without dealing with harassment. Amongst the many facts that Maddux uncovers is the sheer denial of Care Home Providers of the presence of LGBT seniors amongst their numbers.
Without the support of family or partners many LGBT seniors who simply cannot deal with the homophobia, harassment and abuse die alone and isolated.
This so wrong, and yet as we shake our heads we all know in our hearts very little has changed since the film was first released. The are a handful of Social Workers and Care Providers determined to make a difference, but they are so outnumbered by the aging population of the LGBT community.
On June 5th, HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day there will a special ONLINE SCREENING of the film. Hosted by cast member: Fenway Health/ LGBT Aging Project’s Bob Linscott, there will be a Q+A with cast member Dr. Melvin W Simms and the filmmakers after the screening.
It's a FREE event for tickets and information click HEREP.S. Otherwise you can watch the film on Amazon Prime via the Here Tv App.
Labels: 2020, documentary, gay seniors
