These Tampa Bay retirees worry about future under Florida LGBTQ+ laws

Like most older adults, Brian Kelly wants to stay in his home as long as he can.

The Seminole resident’s concerns go beyond losing his independence or the rising cost of long-term care.

“I wonder, ‘Is the facility welcoming to LGBTQ?’” asked Kelly, who is gay.

Fear of having to “re-closet” upon entering a nursing home has long haunted aging LGBTQ+ people.

To Kelly, who is 68, the threat feels more palpable these days.

As Florida reddens and a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills sails through the Legislature, some LGBTQ+ seniors fear for their retirement future in Tampa Bay.

Many can’t afford to leave, residents and providers say, due to fixed incomes and the disproportionate risk of poverty that LGBTQ+ community members face throughout their lives.

“I’m hoping I don’t have to go into long-term care at all,” Kelly said. “But I desperately do not want to have to go into long-term care here in Florida.”

For decades, Tampa Bay was considered a haven for LGBTQ+ people to enjoy safe, affordable retirement.

The area once boasted America’s first LGBTQ+ retirement community. St. Petersburg, nicknamed “God’s waiting room” for its large senior population, continues to hold the largest pride parade in the southeast. While Tampa once banned the liberation march, it now has an openly gay mayor, Jane Castor.

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