One thing we all have in common is that we all grow older—and together we’re doing it a lot faster, as SAGE Maine estimates: Todays LGBTQ older adults in the US number 3 million and will double to 6 million by 2030.
Further, LGBTQ older adults are among the most “invisible and marginalized populations” in the country, notes the organization.
To meet the growing needs here, SAGE Maine‘s board of directors announced this week the organization will merge with EqualityMaine, the state’s leading LGBTQ advocacy group.
“LGBTQ older adults in Maine have demonstrated a real and growing need for the advocacy and services beyond what SAGE can deliver as a largely volunteer-managed and operated organization,” said John Hennessy, founding board member and current cochair, who will join EqualityMaine’s board of directors, according to a recent press release.
Former SAGE board members will now serve on EqualityMaine’s SAGE Program Advisory Committee. And SAGE’s core programs “will remain intact into the foreseeable future,” notes a press release from EqualityMaine, which will also “explore new opportunities across the state to establish and grow the SAGE aging service referral network, social support and community education programming.”
“The EqualityMaine board has affirmed their commitment to that same population by agreeing to the upcoming merger. SAGE Maine is very well established in the aging network including the Maine Area Agencies on Aging, Maine Council on Aging and many other leading providers of services. Our presence in the community has been very warmly received,” Hennessy said.
Said EqualityMaine Executive Director Matt Moonen, “We see the merger with SAGE Maine as a natural extension of our work and look forward to continuing the relationships that SAGE Maine has established across the state with members of our community and the providers and networks that support us. We all hope to have care and support as we age, and we’re grateful to take on that work here in Maine.”
For more on the merger, go to sagemaine.org or visit EqualityMaine.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
