Gay-friendly retirement village needs backers

Community members have been asked to take part in the creation of a gay-friendly retirement village.
The community-style village for the over 55s will cater for gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex people and their friends.
Project facilitator Craig Wright said a number of retirement village workshops had taken place, and he was now calling for expressions of interest.
“The response already has been overwhelming,” he said.
“And we would now like to call upon people who would like to participate.
“It could be about the provision of healthcare, or down to things like the caretaker. There might be people who want to buy off the plan or donate land, or even people who want to help fund the project or take a seat on the board.”
The location of the retirement village was yet to be determined, but it was likely to be in the Blue Mountains or Lake Macquarie.
Wright previously told Sydney Star Observer that traditional health and ageing services were not always relevant to the queer community.
“People from my generation have little choice but to be pushed back into the closet in old age,” he said.
The gay-friendly village, Wright added, would allow the elders in the community to continue leading openly gay lives.
Both Eastern and Western medicine would be utilised at the village, as well as golf courses and walking tracks.
Funding would be sourced from within the queer community, Wright has said, and the profits would be fed back into GLBTIQ health projects.
To get involved phone Craig Wright on 0418 444 040 or email [email protected].
Poll: Do we need gay and lesbian aged care facilities? Vote online at www.ssonet.com.au.