Something is about to come into being that will truly revolutionize the LGBTQ community in Massachusetts and eventually across New England. A launch of a new project that will change the way the LGBTQ community navigates the way we age. A resource that will stimulate ongoing learning, enrich lives and develop new social connections — all things that people don’t usually associate with aging.
This new resource is Outstanding Life, a virtual community for LGBTQ+ older adults. It is currently piloting in a smaller version but will expand in June with the launch of a brand new sophisticated and innovative community platform. A group of community leaders, activists and members of the LGBTQ community of various ages and generations have been working consistently for the last few years to usher in this resource, which will transform how LGBTQ older adults build their social connections.
So, what exactly is Outstanding Life?
Think of it as a community center, a college, a health and wellness club — all rolled into one and all-accessible from the comfort of your own home. This platform has the potential to change the way we age by allowing members to reengage with learning that keeps them active and vibrant in body, mind and spirit. It also promises an incredible opportunity for enhancing social engagement at a time when many people see their own social circles getting smaller and smaller. The way Outstanding Life is structured will bring people from different backgrounds, communities and neighborhoods together through their shared interests.
Two of the people on the Outstanding Life leadership team have had a lifetime of experience in this area. Alice Fisher, a resident of Boston’s South End, has spent much of her adult life working in community-building, and within that, she has focused the last 20 years on develop-ing an online community for older LGBTQ adults.
“We tried so many different versions of this in the past, but now we have learned so much in the years after the pandemic. Society has changed, technology has changed, what we thought wasn’t possible now is within in our reach.” After so many years of working toward this goal, Fisher says the thing that impresses her the most is the incredible team of volunteers who have come to the table. “They are experienced, smart, diverse, sophisticated and hardworking,” she says, and they are committed to making this project a reality.
Fisher had a long history working with David Aronstein of Jamaica Plain, chair of the Outstanding Life Steering Committee. Aronstein also has spent much of his adult life focused on innovative ways to build community for LGBTQ adults, through his various roles as the founder of Stonewall Communities, where he worked with Fisher for many years. Aronstein was also the cofounder of the LGBT Aging Project. One of the things Aronstein learned in his years of running Stonewall Communities’ Lifelong Learning group at Wheelock College was the importance of peer learning. “Yes, it is great to have experts in their fields come and offer a class or presentation, but it is equally important to give space for peer-to-peer learning.” This empowers one person to share their passion for a particular subject like numerology or Italian cooking.
What makes Outstanding Life stand out from all the other social networking platforms that have come and gone before is the potential for reaching across boundaries and barriers that often divide communities. Boston, like many other cities across the United States, has been criticized because of its social segregation. Gay men seem to prefer to socialize with other gay men, lesbians with other lesbians, younger people with other younger people, BIPOC people with other BIPOCs, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the depth and richness that is provided in connecting with people outside your familiar circles is missing in this equation. That is exact-ly where Outstanding Life plans to step into the scene.
This new platform will welcome all LGBTQ older adults from every background and provide spaces for them to connect with the affinity group(s) they feel most comfortable with, but there will also be an opportunity to step out and explore programs and activities that they are interested in or have always wanted to learn about. This will encourage people to step out and follow their passion alongside new people who share that same interest or passion. This has the potential to significantly widen people’s social circles at a time when they are often de-creasing due to aging.
Social reconnection
One of the most important roles that Outstanding Life takes on is its ability to combat the social isolation that often befalls older adults. This isolation often starts when adults stop working and lose all their work relationships. For others that social isolation began when they stopped going out to the bars and began to feel disconnected from the LGBTQ community. Outstanding Life is calling everyone, and they really mean everyone, back to the table.
The leadership team for Outstanding Life has the perfect balance of generations. The older members of the team are aware of the digital barriers that keep so many of their peers from considering any programming that is done online. The younger members of the team are passionate about technology have a vast knowledge base about ways to make Outstanding Life easy and accessible for even the biggest technophobe.
Some of the features that Outstanding Life will offer through their Community Platform built by Mighty Networks include an ability to chat with other members, scroll through member pro-files, create your own calendar with your own class schedule and enjoy discussions with community members after presentations. Members can also offer their own programming to share with other members. And because accessibility is so critical to the group’s mission, these services will be offered totally free to everyone. No membership fees or activity charges. They will be able to do this through donations, grants and corporate sponsorships.
You don’t need to wait for June to connect with Outstanding Life; that date is just when the new community platform will be launched. Outstanding Life is currently offering a number of ongoing programs through Zoom. Susan Trotz of Jamaica Plain, a member of the Outstanding Life programming committee shared that “we are really focusing on ongoing programs more than one-off events because we want to give people a chance to get to know each other in the same class over time.” Currently, Outstanding Life is offering a number of monthly series including a reading series from local authors, a health and wellness series, a legal lunch-and-learn and a writers workshop that is currently full. In the coming weeks they plan to add an LGBTQ veterans group and a yoga-breathing and meditation series.
In addition to the years of experience within the leadership team, Outstanding Life is being supported by several LGBTQ community organizations such as The History Project, GLAD, LGBTQ Elders of Color, RALLY and AARP. Their fiscal sponsor is the Multicultural AIDS Coalition.
Al Whitaker of Brockton, a longtime leader in the Black gay community says, “This work is all about equity, we want to make this accessible for anyone to join and not be deterred by technology or access to computers.”
Whitaker explains that the group is currently exploring grants to buy laptops and tablets to get even more people online to participate. He also speaks to the importance of making this a place that is welcoming and inclusive to communities of color. “We plan to have programs and classes that are led by people of color and activities that are specifically of interest to LGBTQ older adults of color. Whitacre facilitates the current Health and Wellness series.
The potential for this platform is unlimited. One of the new programs Whitaker, who works for the American Heart Association, is most excited about is a CPR training. It is hard to imagine how this could be offered online but for this group, anything is possible. “We will be mailing a CPR kit to each participant that includes an inflatable practice dummy and we will have a trained provider teaching the class online. This will be such a great service to our community.
Whitaker says, “I am impressed with the speed of all this. It was just over a year ago most of us came to the table to talk about what this idea would look like. Now it is happening, and we are not stopping there. We are already thinking about plans to roll out in three years and five years. The key is sustainability.”
This need to stay connected is not going away. We all learned what it was like to gather during the pandemic when it was not possible to connect in person. Now Outstanding Life has learned from that, and they are weaving that into the fabric of our community so that we are thriving and connecting as we age instead of being isolated and stagnant. One of the factors that will help to guarantee the sustainability of the organization is the intergenerational composition of their leadership team. Whitacre says “like a lot of people my age, I call my 12-year-old nephew when I need help with one of my devices. Younger people are just more experienced with technology, so to have them on board from the beginning is a major asset.”
When asked if the leadership team was modeling Outstanding Life after another successful online platform, Fisher grins and says, “My dear, we are the model.” And she is absolutely right. It is a model of inclusivity, connection and creativity. This is what happens when you bring together a group of caring and dedicated individuals who want to make life better for others. The result is Outstanding Life. The name says it all. Please join them this June for the opening. [x]
For more, email info@outstandinglife.org or visit www.outstandinglife.org
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!
