Monthly Meeting
Sunday, April 24, 2022
at 1PM on Zoom
IT'S NOT JUST LGBT YOUTH WHO NEED OUR SUPPORT!
The years from youth to old age pass quickly, but prejudice and mistreatment do not. Our elderly LGBTQ often find themselves in nursing homes, senior residences or other facilities where attitudes of fellow residents reflect the midcentury prejudice against "queers," "fags," and "dykes," that prevailed when they were young in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. Our folks have been insulted in such places, made the target of pranks, and joked about openly in dining rooms and hallways. In some cases they've had to find other places to live and to bear the expense and pain that moving entails.
It must stop.
Thank goodness, then, for SAGE -- Services & Advocacy for LGBT Elders, which was founded in New York in 1979. SAGE Detroit was founded as an affiliate of national SAGE in 2015. Today it is SAGE Metro Detroit (SMD), an independent organization since national SAGE divested regional affiliates to focus on its work in New York and south Florida.
The FWD leadership team sees a continuity between our work with young people and SMD's work with the elderly, reflecting the continuity between youth and maturity. It's all about the same human beings at different stages of life. Should we, and can we, explore further how SDM's work and ours might come together in projects and initiatives that would benefit the Detroit-area LGBTQ community?
That is a leadership-team decision to make. To help us do that, we're fortunate to have as our speaker at the April 24th FWD meeting Judy Lewis, SAGE Metro Detroit's director of training and education.
Judy has worked as an educator, speaker, consultant, and facilitator for- and with- the LGBTQ+ community for nearly three decades. She co-founded the Jewish Gay Network of Michigan and served as its first Executive Director. She is a professional consultant specializing in LGBTQ+ Older Adult issues with organizations like AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, Inclusive Justice-Together in Faith and SAGE Metro Detroit.
Along with the secular community, she has worked with clergy and lay leadership to provide education and advocacy for LGBTQ+ individuals and families of faith.
A graduate of the centennial class of Wayne State University, where the maximum tuition for 12 hours/3 classes or more was $104 ($112 for graduate students), and hardcover books ran about $1, Judy is proud to say that her first student assistant job on campus paid $0.80/hour!
Come join us on Sunday, April 24 to learn about the work of SAGE and how we as Families With Dignity can impact the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in senior living facilities.
To join us for this meeting please register below and you will receive an email with a link to the meeting.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tce-grT0iGNfECT8hrP4utBlAppDfeCOM
For information or questions contact:
313-670-2613
March 21: Webinar featuring ousted church workers and theologian James Alison
LGBTQ Christians forced from ministry positions discuss the transformative power of Grace in the journey towards faith without resentment -- towards radical inclusion in the face of exclusion.
Joining them in this webinar will be noted theologian, priest, and author James Alison, who has written extensively on this topic. The webinar begins March 21 at 7 p.m.
Grace Under Fire is presented through the partnership of New Ways Ministry, DignityUSA, Families with Dignity, and Christ Church Cranbrook. There is no charge for this event. To attend, click this Zoom link at the meeting time.