Hey! It's Whidbey Island!

Soft Sunset from Whidbey

We visited an assisted living community on Whidbey Island today, one of a number of senior communities owned by an Oregon corporation.  The full-color brochure asks:  What does retirement perfected mean to you?  It goes on with a list of characteristics for potential residents to check off:  exceptional food, a feeling of home, safety and security, simplified life, etc.,  and then asks:  What would you add?  Of course, I would add:  welcoming and inclusive of all people including LGBT.  Although "diverse" or "welcoming and inclusive" was not on their list, it seems that this community, according to the staff member we spoke with, would certainly be welcoming of LGBT seniors.  In fact, she seemed rather surprised that this was a topic of concern.  (Some background here -- this administrator was a millennial who grew up on Whidbey.)  When I asked the question, "Would we, as a married couple, be welcome here?" she responded with a shrug and a rather surprised expression, "Hey! It's Whidbey Island!" In other words, it is accepted and expected that LGBT are comfortable here because we comprise a hefty percentage of the population on Whidbey.  Are there LGBT living in this senior community now?  She couldn't say for sure because their forms don't ask.  

Here is another example of a senior community that believes it is welcoming and inclusive but has no evidence to confirm that statement and, at least from what I could tell, no easy way to find out if it is true without talking with someone who has experienced living here.  Some of my suggestions for ways that the facility could demonstrate inclusivity were well received but with the caveat that such changes couldn't be made by someone who is a small cog in a big wheel.   With assurance, she said she would share these ideas later today in a phone call with her supervisor.  

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.  -- Margaret Mead