Following this year’s Pride events, I heard some interesting comments, both from those who attended the weekend’s events and some who had just looked over photos from Pride. The common theme was, “Our community is really getting older …”

Well, yes, of course it is. But there is a clear reason for that somewhat surprised reaction. To witness the aging of an out and proud community is a new phenomenon.

It’s easy to forget now that there was a time when the world and the way the GLBT community was treated were vastly different than the world our young people have inherited. At that time, coming out as young men and women was thought to be impossible; being gay or lesbian was a secret to be kept, except from other lesbian or gay people you might happen to find through secretive parties or clandestine bars.

Without those essential connections, some of today’s GLBT seniors lived in terrible isolation during their younger years. Many of them were forced to live double lives – closeted at work and with family members, sometimes while trying to build a relationship with a partner that required compromises and evasions most of us would find challenging at best and unacceptable at worst.

For some that way of life just continued, even after it might have been safe to come out. Their isolation intensified, sometimes with devastating effects after the loss of a partner who may have been their only confidant.

For all of these reasons, it is imperative that our organizations – and those outside the GLBT community – continue to strive to find innovative and relevant ways to serve this population. Within the next decade, one in five San Diegans will be age 50 or better, and they will need a wide range of services and programs.

At The Center, we’ve created a program for those ages 50 and better, and the array of offerings is indeed diverse – ranging from discussion groups and social lunches and dinners, to educational forums and informational fairs. Our Olin/Grinchuck Senior Space is another resource available to individuals and groups over 50.

Over the past eight years, we’ve seen a new world open up for those 50 and better — a world that, for some, once seemed impossible. The Center continually strives to create a welcoming place for our 50 and better community. We continue to provide resources and referrals to make sure they can access health care, social services and other community activities of interest. We serve more than 1,000 seniors annually, and that number continues to expand each year.

One of our outstanding Center volunteers, who also participates in many of the senior services activities, has said many times what a difference the program has made for him. But he says it has had an even more profound effect on some of his friends — even those who haven’t been as actively involved with The Center.

One of the stories he shared was about a friend whose partner had recently passed. He told me that, at a traditional senior center, this friend wouldn’t be able to really talk about his past, or the fact that he had just lost his partner (at the very least, he would have had to change his partner’s name and pronouns). This volunteer ended his story with a line that has stuck with me – “We had to live in secrecy when we first came out; we shouldn’t have hide who we are in our later years.”

And he’s right. That’s why, no matter what your age, everyone has a place at The Center.

The generous support of our community enables The Center to offer essential programs such as senior services, programs that far too many communities are unable to provide. We remain committed to ensuring that our seniors – many of whom helped build our community and blazed a trail for those of us who follow them – have a safe place that welcomes, nurtures and supports them.