December 14, 2017

'Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services' Report Released

READ TIME: 2 MIN.

On Friday, December 15, SAGE, the nation's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT elders, joins The Movement Advancement Project and Columbia Law School's Public Rights/Private Conscience Project in announcing the release of "Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services."

This luncheon and conversation will deal with the report detailing the increased risk of discrimination LGBT older adults face as a result of recent efforts to pass religious exemption laws and policies.

Expected participants include:

  • Alex Sheldon, Research Analyst, The Movement Advancement Project
  • Audrey Weiner, President and CEO, The New Jewish Home
  • Carmelyn P. Malalis, Chair and Commissioner, New York City Commission on Human Rights
  • Fred Davie, Executive Vice President, Union Theological Seminary
  • Jonathan Soto, NYC Mayor's Office: Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Community Partnerships
  • Katherine Franke, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Public Rights/PrivatConscience Project, Columbia Law School
  • Michael Adams, CEO, SAGE
  • Rose Saxe, Senior Staff Attorney, LGBT & HIV Project, American Civil Liberties Union
  • Sandy Warshaw, SAGE Constituent

    "This report, and the amicus brief SAGE filed in the Masterpiece Cake case, clearly demonstrate that personal religious beliefs should never be a license to discriminate against LGBT people or anybody else," says Michael Adams, CEO of SAGE. "That's why we are partnering with MAP and Columbia to bring together aging experts, religious leaders, and our elders, to expose the dangers that so-called 'religious exemptions' pose for LGBT elders who need care and services. We must not allow the doors of a nursing home or a critical care provider to slam in LGBT elders' faces just because of who they are and whom they love."

    SAGE is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBT older adults and their caregivers, advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBT older people, provides education and technical assistance for aging providers and LGBT organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, and cultural competence training through SAGECare.

    Headquartered in New York City, with staff across the country, SAGE also coordinates a growing network of affiliates in the United States. Learn more at sageusa.org.

    The panel will be held on Friday, December 15 from 12 Noon to 2 p.m. at Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, 3041 Broadway, New York City, 10027.

    For more information, visit www.sageusa.org

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