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COPYRIGHT 2003 Curve Magazine, Outspoken Enterprises, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 863-6538
TWO YEARS AGO, BERTIE HALPERN SLIPPED ON some ice, fell on the pavement and broke her shoulder. But the physical pain, she says, was nothing compared to the heterosexist hospital environment, complete with an X-ray technician whose opposite-sex flirting occupied more time than the exam itself.
"I wanted to slit his throat," she says of the technician. "But I was gentle."
Halpern, 80, is a New York City lesbian who ran with street kids during childhood, worked the illegal drag bar circuit in the 1950s, and identified as a "fag dyke" long before it was trendy.
But when she finds herself at the mercy of medical personnel, she retreats into sexual ambiguity, playing the "good girl" in order to get the treatment she needs. It is "depressing," she says, and makes her avoid even thinking about someday needing long-term care.
"I'm a big coward. I run away from it. I don't want to think about it; I just want to play," says Halpern, whose busy lifestyle is well-accommodated by her midtown high-rise on the edge of Times Square. Should Halpern ever need future medical help, she says, she will "depend on the kindness of strangers" when the moment arises. She will not trade her fun, queer-filled life of theater, pingpong and social groups for the physical stability--but emotional insecurity of full-time assisted living.
Thankfully, her younger queer brethren wouldn't dream of letting her face that choice, either.
BOOM TOWNS
Across the country, gay senior services are slowly but surely popping up. Nearly every major LGBT nonprofit has dedicated some energy to empowering its older population. Mainstream direct services are expanding their visions, groups are offering training to providers, and traditional nursing homes are taking steps to be more inclusive. Moreover, dozens of organizations specifically geared toward LGBT elders are thriving, including a...
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