Grantee Partner Spotlight:
OutstandingLife

image of a screenshot of a Zoom meeting with 6 people in separate screens with varying backgrounds.
David Aronstein, bottom left, with other OutstandingLife members at an online event.

Imagine seeing your name in lights amid a gleaming rainbow of colors welcoming you to a new neighborhood. Invitations are waiting in your mailbox, and new friends are eager to introduce themselves. That’s how it feels walking in the virtual door of OutstandingLife, an online community for LGBTQ+ older adults that offers get-togethers, support groups, seminars, workshops, events, and chat rooms.

You can engage as much or as little as you like, whenever you like, in this safe and accessible space. You might attend an exercise class or online pride party or join an interest group focused on travel or cooking or a population-specific group like lesbians of color, transgender men, or Cape Cod residents. Perhaps you’d register for a course on history, legal issues, or taxes, share your work in an art or writing group, pop into an intergenerational social hour, or simply stay up late chatting.

“It’s been fun to see friends I haven’t connected with in a long time, and also to get to know new people,” says member Maida Tilchen. “I did a Zoom for OSL myself when given the opportunity to talk about the two novels I’ve written. I’m also delighted to be asked to talk on the upcoming travel series. I love the vision for OutstandingLife, and I have been enjoying the progress. I tell everyone I can about it and I look forward to watching it grow. Thanks to everyone who is making it possible.”

A flier for OutstandingLife book club with pink background that fades to yellow from left to right. The book image is of the book 'Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All' by Martha S. Jones. There is a lot of text describing the book, and directions for how to RSVP and who to email with questions.
OutstandingLife promotion for a Banned Book Club meeting

After a beta launch of five programs in 2022, OutstandingLife (OsL) introduced their virtual senior center in June 2023 on Mighty Networks, a free-to-join platform vetted for online safety, accessible via a phone app or any Internet browser. Since then, the community has grown to more than 380 people. Membership and all programs are offered free of charge, and there are abundant support options to help those who may face technological barriers. LGBTQ+ senior health is a primary focus for the group — both physical and mental — and inclusion and interaction are essential elements.

“Many of our members have lived most of our lives being ‘othered’ by society,” says OsL Board Chair David Aronstein. “We grew up in the mid-20th century, when homophobia was intense and supported by law enforcement and medical professionals. Even today . . . even in Massachusetts . . . and even in the most welcoming senior centers, LGBTQ+ people have to worry about ostracism and privacy.”

Program leaders primarily come from the LGBTQ+ community as well, and OsL looks for diverse intersectional identities to add breadth and depth to programs. The organization is committed to uplifting members impacted not only by homophobia and sexism but also systemic racism, transphobia, and income inequality. “When we compensate these program leaders for their time, we’re also increasing the economic empowerment of diverse communities,” David comments.

Like David, OsL founder and board member Alice Fisher is a lifelong LGBT activist. In the early 2000s, the two worked together on Stonewall Communities, a Boston-based LGBTQ+ senior housing and advocacy group, and their commitment to OsL is an extension of that original vision. “For many years, we have been creating different ways for LGBTQ+ older adults to connect because we are so dispersed throughout the Commonwealth,” says Alice. “Finally the technology has caught up to our vision.”

Although the OutstandingLife forum has no geographic boundaries, OsL’s five board members all have extensive professional résumés in Massachusetts and help advocate for the local LGBTQ+ aging community, presenting issues to the Boston Mayor’s Office, City Council, and the Massachusetts Legislature. “It’s an equity issue,” explains David. “Brick-and-mortar senior centers are funded through state and city budgets, so we worked hard for the earmark in the state budget that provides online community services that would be out-of-reach for many LGBTQ+ older adults.”

Thanks to a new three-year Community Health & Healthy Aging Funds grant, OsL is now partnering with some of those brick-and-mortar centers to develop programming with senior centers and Massachusetts Councils on Aging (CoAs), starting with gateway cities and Cape Cod. The partnership allows both OsL and the CoAs to extend their reach and combat social isolation for LGBTQ+ seniors who might not otherwise have a way to engage.

“I’m kind of a yenta of organizations,” David jokes, “and I always believe that by bringing groups together, one plus one ends up equaling more than two. OsL also partners with more than two dozen organizations on programming and cross-promotion, including AARP, GLAD, Little Brothers/Friends of the Elderly, and Trans Community of New England.”

This past spring, OsL was awarded 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. “Now we’re working on building our infrastructure, expanding offerings, and increasing membership, engagement, and interaction,” David says. “This is an environment that fosters joy and independence, and we want all members to flourish and feel empowered and engaged.”

OutstandingLife is currently seeking new board members and volunteer program hosts and moderators, and always welcomes new members, new community partners, and financial donations. If you would like to get involved, please write to info@outstandinglife.org or fill out the online contact form.