LGBTQ Elders

Mission

In our mission to amplify under-represented voices, the LGBTQ Elders project is to celebrate our trailblazers, mentors, older adults, seniors, and guardians of LGBTQ history who need to be spotlighted for their roles in creating culture. Especially with current political climate, it is more urgent to hear these stories to gleam hope and tools for visibility, inclusion, and progress.

WeHo Pride 2023 events

Two events during June’s WeHo Pride celebrated LGBTQ Elders sharing their stories with younger LGBTQ poets from the band Pride Poets. This intergenerational connection brings oral history to be treasured as a new memory as a poet witnesses the story and creates a souvenir.

Jen Cheng advocates for intergenerational connection here in an interview with Beverly Press.

The Documentary

Through meeting LGBTQ elders through events and direct contacts, we are in the pre-production phase of collecting stories and choosing candidates for in-depth interviews. Proposed interview subjects are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, and New York City where we will take a small production crew to visit them in their active lives in their communities like their choirs, art events, and social justice events, in addition to intimate storytelling  and interactions with our younger LGBTQ poets.

The producing team includes Writer/Director Jen Cheng and Cinematographer Ashton Rae. We have the fiscal sponsor support of From the Heart Productions. If you or a friend are interested in donating to this project, please support us with an online donation and mark it for “LGBTQ Elders” in the Donation Message. Thank you!