We’ve given the Obama administration a lot of grief in this space as of late. They unfortunately have dragged their feet on many of the issues that have grave implications for our community, most notably repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act.

But last week they made some headway in another one of our arenas.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced last Thursday that plans were afoot to establish the nation’s first national resource center to assist communities across the country in their efforts to provide services and resources for older GLBT persons. 

Older GLBT individuals face a multitude of difficulties in this society. Geriatric physicians, for example, are sometimes ill-equipped to address medical issues that might be specific to gay or bisexual men. Assisted-living facilities, which collectively know nothing about the sexuality of even their straight residents, are even more clueless about the needs of their gay ones. Gay venues are often simply more geared towards younger patrons, and leave older patrons feeling left out. Some venues are outright hostile.

We are fortunate to live in a city that’s equipped to offer resources to its older GLBT citizens. We have groups such as the Prime Timers, and facilities such as Center on Halsted and Howard Brown Health Center that offer programming and services for such an audience.

That said, more needs to be done. Even if they live in a place that offers services to their demographic, not every older GLBT has the wherewithal to reach out for help. The resource center grant announced last week grants $250,000 to organizations; as glad as we are to see it, it will take a lot more than that amount to make a dent in the long-term needs of our community. Nevertheless we are glad that the Obama administration is taking steps in that direction.

On another note, the irony of addressing this issue now, when this week marks the final week of Paul Varnell’s column, is not lost on us.

Paul’s column has long addressed the needs of GLBT seniors; he has written about his experiences with the aforementioned programs, for example, and was not afraid to call them out on what he thought was wrong.

But that was just a small part of what Paul has brought to CFP. His musings were sometimes against-the-grain and infuriating to some in the community, but, at the same time, his column was always compelling and provocative. The same goes for his reporting on Chicago’s art scene and GLBT business community.

His contributions will be sorely missed by Chicago Free Press staffers.