Legislation introduced Friday, during Pride Month, by more than a dozen House Democrats would help combat abuse against elderly LGBTQ Americans.
The Elder Pride Protection Act would establish a task force within the Department of Justice to study the “increased incidence of elder abuse” against LGBTQ seniors and develop best practice solutions to be implemented by state and local law enforcement, according to a copy of the bill, shared first with The Hill.
“No one, especially our vulnerable seniors, should ever be mistreated because of who they are or who they love,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who introduced the bill Friday alongside Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who recently launched a bid to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in the Senate next year.
In November, Gottheimer announced he would run for governor of New Jersey.
Craig, who is gay and one of 13 openly LGBTQ members of Congress, said the measure would help shield seniors from abuse and discrimination “as we continue the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.”
“LGBTQ+ seniors led the fight for so many of the rights LGBTQ+ Minnesotans enjoy today, and now it’s our turn to fight for them,” she said in a statement.
LGBTQ older adults are at heightened risk for adverse health and social outcomes compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies, a New Jersey nonprofit. SAGE, an advocacy group for LGBTQ elders that has endorsed Gottheimer and Craig’s bill, has said LGBTQ seniors are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect.
Comprehensive data on elder abuse is lacking, though the Justice Department estimates that more than 10 percent of Americans age 65 and older experience some form of elder abuse each year. In limited data, LGBTQ seniors, who are at higher risk of isolation, report elevated rates of abuse, according to SAGE.
“These are challenging times, and now more than ever, LGBTQ+ elders deserve to age without fear of elder abuse,” said Aaron Tax, SAGE’s managing director of government affairs and policy advocacy.
The bill, which has 14 Democratic co-sponsors, stands little chance of passing the GOP-controlled House. Republicans and President Trump have denounced initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), claiming they stoke divisions and promote “woke ideology.”
A National Center on Elder Abuse webpage previously dedicated to “advancing justice for LGBTQ elders” appears to have been deleted this year in the administration’s purge of government websites following Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI and “gender ideology.”
Updated at 10:32 a.m. EDT
