By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – As Pride Month celebrations take place across New Mexico, the Older Rainbow Community of Albuquerque (ORCA) is focused on something that lasts long after the parades end: creating community for LGBTQ+ older adults.
Founded in 2013 as SAGE Albuquerque, the organization was created after Katherine Palmer and Sheila Mink recognized the need for a dedicated space for LGBTQ+ seniors in Albuquerque.
“Knowing that they missed having a senior LGBTQ space in probably 2012, they decided they were going to start it,” says Paul Oostenburg, chair of ORCA’s board. What began as a monthly gathering eventually found a permanent home at Highland Senior Center and has since grown into a thriving organization offering social events, support groups, advocacy and community outreach.
Today, ORCA’s mission is to reduce isolation and build connections among LGBTQ+ adults aged 50 and older. The volunteer-led organization hosts coffee groups, game nights, storytelling gatherings, arts outings, dances and community events throughout the year.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, members have worked to help people reconnect with others.
“Trying to pull people back out, out of the houses and into the streets kind of thing, to get more involved,” says Craig Vitamanti, board member of ORCA.
For Vitamanti, community was exactly what he was searching for when he moved to Albuquerque from Southern California after caring for his father.
“I came here specifically to have an active elder LGBTQ group that I could get involved with, and that you could create your own sense of community,” says Vitamanti. “That’s why I stay, and that’s why I’m on the board.”
Both Vitamanti and Oostenburg say ORCA fills a unique role for LGBTQ+ seniors, many of whom face challenges that are often overlooked. Some members arrive after losing a partner, while others are navigating retirement, isolation or concerns about aging and long-term care.
“People will say, ‘My partner passed away a month ago, and I knew I had to get out of the house, and I was looking for events to go to to get me back on my feet again,’” says Oostenburg. “Well, boy, that’s an important purpose for us to have to support people.”
ORCA also advocates for LGBTQ+ seniors through cultural competency training for senior-serving organizations, housing providers and care facilities. The goal is to ensure older LGBTQ+ adults can age with dignity and respect.
The organization’s social mission is equally important.
“Elders and loneliness is an epidemic across the country,” says Vitamanti. “We want to create that kind of thing, so that people will feel that they still have a community and can come in and be involved and not feel isolated.”
As Pride Month continues, ORCA members are participating in events across Albuquerque, including a Pride breakfast, a float in the Pride parade and community celebrations.
For Oostenburg, visibility remains important, but so does creating spaces where LGBTQ+ seniors can simply be themselves.
“I feel our community needs queer spaces, and I think that the 50-plus community, particularly, needs queer spaces,” says Oostenburg. “Because we tend not to go to bars, we tend to go to potlucks.”
For older LGBTQ+ adults looking for connection, ORCA’s message is simple: show up. “If you’re feeling isolated, the best way to not be isolated is to come,” says Vitamanti. “Even if you don’t say anything, just come and hear other people tell their stories and things.”
To learn more about ORCA, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities or available resources, visit ORCA Albuquerque’s website. (orcaabq.org)