statement of solidarity

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPride) as an organization whose mission it is to serve the needs of LGBTQIA+ seniors, has recognized since its founding that the social disparities based on race, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, and gender identity result in trauma that can last for generations. We also know that those who live at the intersections of these group identities are the most traumatized. The killing of George Floyd this summer by police in Minneapolis is yet one more in the long history of brutal killings of people of color in our country. The unprecedented political uprising that has erupted in its wake brings home the need for GenPride to reflect and renew our focus on what it means to be an anti-racist organization, where we need to do better and what we need to do next. GenPride embraces and celebrates all the communities that make up our diverse LGBTQIA+ community. At the same time, we acknowledge and apologize for racism within our community that has often prevented LGBTQIA+ people of color from feeling welcome or visible in our community spaces. We know that we can and must do better.

As a community service provider, GenPride recognizes that racism is a public health crisis, the impact of which is starkly illuminated by the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic on historically oppressed communities. GenPride is built on a foundation of research as well as the individual and collective stories of our community of LGBTQIA+ elders. Our constituents are the generation of the Stonewall Rebellion and the Civil Rights Movement. LGBTQIA+ seniors understand invisibility all too well, even as gains have been made towards greater LGBTQIA+ acceptance in recent years. We know just how important it is for our stories to be heard, believed, and honored. We hear the heart wrenching stories from people of color about terrifying experiences with police brutality and persistent racial injustice. For those of us who are white and have the choice whether to pay attention, we must not turn away. As a storytelling organization, we must amplify the voices of those most impacted by racism and its intersections, particularly transgender people of color who are the most vulnerable.

At GenPride , we support calls from the community to reallocate public resources from policing to community-led solutions that address the pressing social needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. We believe that this change must be fundamental and immediate. The people of Seattle have learned that task forces, consent decrees and commissions to reform the Seattle Police Department over the past ten years have not brought about change. Social programs that may have once addressed community needs have themselves been defunded over time, and their functions have been delegated to an increasingly militarized police force, with deadly results for the BIPOC community. As an evidence-based organization with a mission to identify and address unmet needs of a marginalized community, we hope we can contribute to the conversation. Most importantly, BIPOC communities must always be at the center of this conversation.

At GenPride , it is imperative that we stand clearly and unequivocally against racism in all its forms. As we forge ahead, we recognize the need to start with a rigorous self-assessment from a racial equity standpoint; and then to create an organizational anti-racism action plan, increase diversity on our Board of Directors and staff, and address organizational culture and our community programming. This moment in history—one that is compounded by social upheaval, a deadly pandemic, and economic disruption—will define our lives going forward. We do not know yet where the story leads, but we recognize that it is a time of reckoning for everyone and that the outcome is up to all of us working together to combat racism. We recognize that no statement or single action is enough, and that we are all in this for the long haul.