Ten More Good Years

Ten More Good Years. Dir. Michael Jacoby. Perf. Harry Bartron, James Bidgood, Ivy Bottini, et al. LookOut Films, 2008. 71 minutes. $19.95 for home use; $125.00 for community groups & nonprofits (public libraries, community centers, high schools); $295.00 for institutions (colleges, universities, nursing homes, hospitals)

I blew the house up trying to get out of that closet! There’s no more closet because there’s no more house!

The spirit of the Stonewall Riots is beautifully captured in the stories of Miss Major and other LGBT people in Michael Jacoby‘s loving documentary, Ten More Good Years. That spirit, and the people who embody it, stand in sharp contrast to a sad reality: elder services in America are not hospitable to LGBT people. Based on assumptions of heterosexuality, discrimination is often rampant in institutions that provide care for the elderly, forcing many LGBT people to hide their orientation from care providers.

Jacoby, his crew, and the subjects of the film illustrate all the barriers this population faces. Considered as a group, LGBT elders must contend with many unique challenges as they age, often in isolation, without families, spouses, or children. Trans people are particularly at risk, as laws and policies of states and care agencies do not consider gender identity and expression.

While often very well educated, many LGBT elders chose work that was LGBT-affirming but not lucrative. Add to that burden, the inability to receive a deceased partner’s pension or social security survivor benefits, as well as discriminatory tax laws, and it is easy to see how our elders can easily become destitute.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in retirement, elder care, and/or equal rights protection for LGBT people.

Reviewed by David S. Vess
Visiting IMLS Portal Librarian & Assistant Professor of Library Administration
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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