Older adults in the LGBTI community in Mexico often face loneliness, rejection from younger generations, and a need to stay closeted to avoid facing their families in the final stages of their lives.
Pablo Orozco Chávez, coordinator of the Apapacho Community, which serves this population in Guadalajara (western Mexico), told EFE that, according to his estimates, around half of older homosexuals are married and have children, which further complicates their identity expression.
“The issue is that there are some or most who don’t want to be visible. I don’t have statistics, but I estimate that 50% (…) of older adults are married and have children. We still carry that very heavy burden that comes from that social, religious aspect,” he noted.
Although the majority of the homosexual population has the economic means to survive because most of them did not have children, many of them are rejected by their families or by younger generations, who see them as outsiders, Orozco Chávez explained.
“Often by the time you’re 30 or 40, you’re already an old man, and the younger generations tell you: ‘We don’t want old people, not gentlemen, not mature people,’” he said.
In solitude
Another obstacle facing the older gay community is that those who came out at some point in their lives live alone and have no desire to leave their homes. Even many of those who live in nursing homes prefer to hide their sexual orientation, Orozco Chávez said.
“There are probably older LGBTI people who aren’t married who are more likely to feel lonely. There are even older adults who have told us, ‘Friends of ours have died alone,’” he expressed.
For Miguel Ángel Guerrero, a 67-year-old retiree, reaching old age means facing many moments of solitude, during which one must understand that family has its own timeframes and processes and isn’t always available.
“When you reach old age, you do reach a point of great loneliness, and you have to work on it to avoid falling into depression,” he told EFE.
To stay active, the former accountant attends Zumba classes and maintains a healthy routine that helps prevent isolation and build bonds.
“I don’t allow that loneliness to overwhelm me or harass me. I get up and say, let’s go outside, I’m going to do something, I don’t know.” I think I’ve learned to work with it up until now; in that sense, this community is important,” he said.
Miguel Ángel Guerrero and Ignacio Muñoz, 68, are part of “Comunidad Apapacho,” a citizen initiative formed a year ago that offers care and a safe, inclusive space for seniors in the LGBTI community to engage in recreational activities and build relationships.
Muñoz, a former engineer who lives with his partner, knows that not many people in the community have the necessary support and live completely alone.
“(The project) is continuing, it’s motivating, it’s trying to instill a little more spirit, to lift the spirits of many people within our senior gay community, who really need that.” (…) They need safe places,” he commented.
In addition to recreational activities and organizing for mutual and intergenerational support, the “Apapacho Community” aims to generate sustainable alternatives, such as cohousing for single people.
“Five people have money, buy a house, and share the costs. It’s easier to pay for a nurse among several people than alone,” explained Pablo Orozco Chávez.
They are also considering coliving as an alternative. For those who cannot afford a home, renting a house among several people is viable, reducing costs and creating companionship.
The community coordinator affirms that it is urgent to serve this population segment because by 2025, 30% of the population will be 60 or older.
“The truth is, I don’t know if we’re getting ahead of ourselves or not, but I think it’s time to talk about it, to expose it, and to investigate what could happen,” he concluded.
Source: holanews
