by Donald Bell

“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countDictionary Makes Gay Teen Feel Less Alone One of the significant characterizations of the period that I spent in high school in the mid-60s – from ‘63 to ‘67 was that one da1960s: “I Was in a Process of Falling in Love at First Sight.” One of my life experiences that I like to share dates back to my early teen years. Back in the 1960s, I was 19 yBeing Black and Gay in the 1960s: A Matter of Life and Death My late teen years, when I was at university, were times that were really life and death-related times for people my a“It Was Extraordinary”: Man Asks Man On A Date In 1967 Another significant incident from my youth, from my late adolescence, happened in 1967, my first year at university. I w“[My Mother’s] Number One Duty Was To Be An Accepting Parent.” I went to my first march on Washington 48 years ago in 1969 in the moratorium march against the war. And what Racism At A Gay Bar: “It Was Shocking. It Was Hurtful. I Teared Up Right There.” I did have some experiences from later in life that were significant to me. One happened aboutLiving In LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing: “We Live Like Neighbors. And That’s A Good Thing.” Today, I am 67. Well, actually, 67 and a half, as my grandson would tell you. And ...

by Pearl Bennett

“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countTRANSCRIPTS: “IN THE LONG RUN, I’M GOING TO BE HAPPY I TOLD HER THIS.” My name is Pearl, I’m a transgender woman. I didn’t transition until I was 50 years of age. Back i“I’M NOT TAKING THIS DRESS OFF.” In 1997, give or take a year or two, I was working out on Fire Island, a barrier island, off of Long Island, and I worked at this little res“THE CHALLENGES OF LIVING PUBLICLY AS A WOMAN: “HE YELLED, ‘THAT’S A MAN!’” The year was 2000. I was living my life as a woman, as Pearl. I had not changed my “JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE DOG RUN.” During that first year before any, before my transition, I, the day before, I went to the dog, took my dogs to the dog run as Ken. And I wen“THAT’S HOW I CAME OUT TO THE FAMILY.” The big hurdle for me was telling my family about my living as a woman now, living as a transgender woman. What I did is, I went to a “MY NAME WAS PEARL FROM THEN ON.” The year was around 1997. I went out, it was Gay Pride weekend. I marched in the Gay Pride parade with some friends in New York City. They we...

by Cecilia Gentili

The life expectancy of a trans woman of color, actually I think it’s like a trans person, but I identify as a trans woman of color I like to say, the life expectancy of a trans wom“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countThe life expectancy of a trans woman of color, actually I think it’s like a trans person, but I identify as a trans woman of color I like to say, the life expectancy of a trans I’m from a really small town in Argentina, called Galvez and sometimes we would travel to my grandma’s house which was in an even smaller town called San Martin de Las EscobasWhen I started high school, I was about 12 or 13 I think, they gave us these uniform guidelines. So you have to wear grey pants, you have to wear a white shirt, you have to wear bWhen I was in high school, it was a project. A school project. I think I was 13, 14, I’m not really sure which year it was, but it was a school project where you had to choose aSo I came out as gay around when I was around 12 years old. It was around the time that democracy came to Argentina, when the dictatorship went down and we chose a president and pWhen I was 17, 18 years old, I finished high school and I left that small city that I’m from in Argentina called Galvez to go to college at the University of Rosario, which is i...

by Sandy Warshaw

7puGcsw-qCI“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countI was brought up with the mantra, you get married, you have children, you live happily ever after. And I did that six months after college. I got married, year and a half two yearI was separated in 1977, I was officially divorced in 1978. I was already here. I met a woman at Swim Club and she’s the first person I had a relationship with and it was not onI do everything late, okay? Except get married. So I started karate when I was 53 and through karate I got involved with the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation where thereBecause I didn’t come out publicly until the 90s, I missed a whole lot of gay and lesbian life and a whole lot of gay and lesbian experience, and certainly the lesbian experiencIn the year 2000 I was just about 70. And I went to work for SAGE, I was their first Director of Advocacy and Training. And that was when I learned in the gay and lesbian setting,...

by Barb Genton

Barb Genton was an elementary school teacher in a small, conservative town and remained closeted for most of her career. “I remained closeted and I dressed thinking that I was f...