Building bridges between generations in the LGBT community was the focus of a recent collaboration between Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) and a student group from Harvard University.
SCES teamed up with the Harvard College Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Queer and Allied Students in the Sciences (HBASIS), to host a group visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History in late March.
The event drew roughly 45 visitors, old and young, for lunch and to explore the exhibits. SCES coordinator Melissa Bryant said socializing is an important aspect of the effort, but added there’s an educational component as well.
“A lot of the Harvard students were very science oriented, and many of them toured the exhibits with the older adults who attended,” said Bryant.
The collaboration was through the Kate Thomas Initiative, which is named for a former Elder Care Advisor at SCES, who was also chair of the SCES LGBT committee. Before her untimely passing, Thomas also created the joint initiative with HBASIS.
SCES is committed to meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. The agency offers a monthly LGBT dinner at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, and has developed an LGBT local resource guide, which is available under the “LGBT resources” tab at eldercare.org.
The museum visit was the second in a series of intergenerational collaborations between SCES and HBASIS. Bryant anticipated the next event would be at some point this fall.
“We have some things in the works, so keep an eye out for it,” said Bryant.
SCES has an LGBT Café email list. Contact Bryant at mbryant@eldercare.org to join.
