Johnson is director of federal government relations at Senior Action in a Gay Environment, an advocacy organization for the elderly gay community. He has lived in Southeast D.C. since 1993.
What are the goals of SAGE?
I think that it’s a mix. … To help educate the administration and Congress, ensuring that older LGBT Americans are included in legislation, [and] including older LGBT Americans in services that are provided to aging communities.
Why is a group like SAGE necessary now?
[The] number of Americans that are 75 or older will double over the next decade. A significant portion of that population are LGBT people. … There are very specific needs that the LGBT community face as they age. HIV/AIDS, we see terrible stories, isolation and bigotry and denial of services for LGBT Americans. … They also have less access to the senior safety net that exists for most Americans.
What are some of your new projects?
SAGE is releasing a report with the Movement Advancement Project … identifying all of the disparities that exist for LGBT older Americans. … Then, we’d like to see our recommendations in the report acted on by the government. We’ve been working with Congresswoman [Tammy] Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is drafting legislation that will broadly address a number of the disparities that LGBT older Americans face nationwide.
What is the most shocking/surprising information in the report?
There’s a fantastic timeline in the report that really sort of sketches out the disparities that different families encounter as they age. I think that some of the disparities are actually quite shocking, particularly when you run into situations like end of life and emergencies. For the LGBT older community, if you have an emergency or end-of-life issue the first thing you do is call 911, and the second you do is look for your power of attorney. – Alana Goodman
