LGBTQ+ Seniors In Pasadena Build ‘Chosen Family’ Villages To Age In Community

LGBTQ+ seniors in Pasadena are pioneering innovative community support models to address the unique challenges of aging. They’re creating “chosen family” networks and specialized programming through organizations like Pasadena Village, where informal groups and new initiatives tackle decades of invisibility and isolation.

“LGBTQ+ older adults can face particular challenges as they age,” said Katie Brandon, Executive Director of Pasadena Village. “Sometimes it’s due to the lack of family support that they might’ve not had throughout their whole lives, and often they are less likely to have children who might step in and help them when health issues or other challenges come as they age.”

Pasadena Village, with over 200 members over age 55, has become a hub for this community-building effort. More than 5% of its members identify as LGBTQIA+, forming an informal group called “The Village People” that meets monthly for lunch gatherings.

“At the Pasadena Village, we have about a dozen LGBT members, and we do get together for lunch once a month,” explained Bruce Christensen, a Pasadena Village member. “Usually we rotate at houses and we have lunch together. So at the Pasadena Village, there is a small LGBT contingent, and we’re very good friends, but the larger Pasadena Village in general is very accepting of LGBT people.”

The challenges facing LGBTQ+ seniors extend beyond social isolation. Christensen, a longtime Pasadena resident, noted generational differences in family structures: “Several LGBT seniors generally do not have children, especially in my generation. Younger ones now are having kids and most seniors rely on family as they get older. So my view is LGBT seniors need to make additional arrangements for help and you either have to develop your chosen family or your chosen friends.”

Christensen has built extensive social networks to address these challenges, maintaining a 35-year games group and a 30-year dinner group alongside his connections through former coworkers and the Pasadena Village LGBTQ+ lunch gatherings.

Geographic barriers compound these challenges, as specialized LGBTQ+ services remain concentrated in distant locations. The San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center in El Monte offers monthly Senior Coffee Chat on third Saturdays, but the distance creates obstacles. “I guess if I could have my magical thinking, it would be an LGBT center and senior aspect of it. In Pasadena specifically,” Christensen said. “The thought of having to navigate going across downtown in rush hour, either in the morning or the evening, that’s difficult. And as I get older, I am less inclined to travel far for activities.”

Brandon identified invisibility as the primary obstacle: “I think in the Altadena and Pasadena area, the biggest hindrance our LGBTQ plus neighbors have is being invisible.”

Recent disasters have highlighted these vulnerabilities while spurring new solutions. The Eaton Fire prompted new programming partnerships with Fire Aid LA and the Pasadena Community Foundation, leading to expanded support initiatives. Community partnerships now include collaborations with the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, AARP, and faith communities like All Saints Episcopal Church.

“We are planning a new series, which will actually launch in July every other week on Thursday evenings Hope and Healing Supper Club for our LGBTQ+ and allies to come together, enjoy complimentary dinner and opportunities to create connections and healing with Project Hope,” Brandon announced. “We are so thrilled to offer this for free to those who are impacted in small and big ways by the Eaton Fire.”

The timing proves critical as California’s LGBTQ+ senior population aged 50 and older is projected to reach nearly 500,000 by 2030. The innovative community-building approaches developing in Pasadena could serve as models for other communities facing similar challenges, particularly as disasters continue highlighting the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ seniors who lack traditional family support systems.