Episode 5 Finding Happiness; A Conversation with LGBT Elders
Jazmin E. Callejas
In this podcast, four LGBT elder residents from the nation’s first affordable LGBT housing, Triangle Square, discuss their life experiences. Multiple interviews are conducted in an effort to gather accurate information on the struggles of the elder lgbt community. These interviews were obtained with the help of Marie Cartier, faculty at Cal State Northridge and Trip Mills, Associate Director of Housing and Training. Some of the topics that are brought up during the interviews are regarding housing, family, social isolation, abuse and even discrimination. The podcast will discuss common themes found within the interviews, including lack of LGBT awareness within healthcare, lack of biological family support, and negative attitudes towards the lgbt community.
Biography
Jazmin Callejas transferred from Los Angeles Valley College in 2018 to Cal State Northridge. She is majoring in Sociology and hoping to eventually obtain a Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in LGBT studies. She decided to minor in Queer Studies after taking QS 301: Perspectives in Queer Studies with Dr. Vanessa Carlisle. In her QS 302: LA in Transit: Communities, Organizations and Politics course, Dr. Marie Cartier taught about LGBT history through the eyes of LGBT elders, and Jazmin realized the importance of the elder LGBT community and their impact on the progress of the LGBT movement. The class final consisted of an intensive ethnographic project, which Jazmin conducted on Chuck Stallard, the official photographer and founding member of the Aids Coalition to Unleash Power (ACTUP). This project represented Chuck Stallard’s contributions to the history of AIDS activism and was then archived in the ONE Institute at USC. Official recognition of Jazmin’s donation increased her desire to continue advocating and educating those around her on the struggles which LGBT individuals face in all stages of life.
Further Reading
Trager, A. J. "AGING SERIES: Aging Study: Current LGBT Practices in Long-Term Care Facilities Lacking." Between the Lines, Jan 07, 2016, p. 6. https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/u60j4s/TN_cdi_proquest_newspapers_1758605188
Caceres, Billy A, et al. “Provider and LGBT Individuals’ Perspectives on LGBT Issues in Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review.” The Gerontologist, vol. 60, no. 3, 2020, pp. e169–e183. https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/u60j4s/TN_cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_7117618
Fredriksen-Goldsen, Karen I, et al. “The Unfolding of LGBT Lives: Key Events Associated With Health and Well-Being in Later Life.” The Gerontologist, vol. 57, no. suppl 1, 2017, pp. S15–S29. https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/u60j4s/TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_1093_geront_gnw185