Subject: Needs of WW2 vets / GLB vets.
From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 23:22:33 -0500

The following post was written by Cale Lehman, Acting Executive Vice
President
of the Gay: Lesbian: Bisexual: VETERANS of Greater New York.

              NEEDS OF WORLD WAR II VETERANS
              Cale Lehman - 14 December 1994

       World War II was the event that defined the latter half of the
twentieth century.  The veterans of World War II are still the largest
component in our veteran population.  These aging veterans also represent the
most urgent problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs today.

       Nationally, there are an estimated 8,300,000 World War II veterans,
accounting for 32% of the total U.S. veteran population.  We are now
commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of World War II, which means that
almost all of the veterans of that war are 67 years of age or older.  In New
York State alone, there are hundreds of thousands of veterans in this age
group.

       For years the V.A. has been working on the problem of homeless
veterans, but the major problem for the vets of World War II is not present
homelessness but the risk of homelessness.  The problem is particularly acute
in large metropolitan areas like New York, where many are renters rather than
homeowners.

       We are faced with this problem partly because we are not a nation of
savers. Many Americans mistakenly assume that at age 65 the combination of
Social Security and Medicare will ensure an anxiety-free retirement.  Also,
some who might want to save for retirement spend most of their working lives
scraping by on subsistence-level wages, while others have spotty working
careers in which periods of employment are punctuated by frequent layoffs.

       Some aging veterans who planned to continue working indefinitely find
that their physical condition forces them to retire, even though they may not
be bedridden or permanently hospitalized.  But any older veteran who is a
renter and who depends entirely on Social Security for a source of income is
at risk of homelessness, regardless of how he came to be in this situation.

       Obviously, neither the Department of Veterans Affairs nor any of our
veterans' organizations would want to see a surge in homelessness among the
veterans of World War II.  For both humane and political reasons, quick
action
is called for.  The age of World War II veterans qualifies them for Section 8
supported housing, but this program gives top priority to those who are
presently homeless.

       Older veterans at risk of homelessness need more access to Section 8
benefits; more flexibility is called for.  The V.A. is their linkage to HUD,
but the outcome of this year's Congressional elections means that at some
point HUD itself may be drastically cut back or eliminated.

       So far we have been talking about World War II veterans as a group. 
Now it's time to talk about a special segment of that group--World War II
veterans who are gay men, lesbians or bisexuals.  For brevity's sake I will
refer to them simply as gay veterans, with the understanding that the term is
meant to be inclusive.

       Gay veterans of World War II constitute a majority of the members of
GLB VETS.  57% of our members are over 65 years of age.  I count myself among
that group.  I am a gay veteran of the World War II era.
      
       Our gay World War II vets have all the problems of the larger group,
plus other problems that are uniquely theirs.  Until GLB VETS reorganized in
January of this year and obtained an office here at the Veterans Memorial
Center, we ourselves did not suspect the extent of some of these problems,
nor
did we appreciate the critical role that GLB VETS can play in the lives of
gay
veterans in my age group.

       To understand what we are like, it is important to recognize that we
were gay long before the Stonewall riots, long before there was anything
called Gay Liberation.  This was a time that was even less tolerant than the
present. We come from a time when some fathers and mothers had their own
teenage children committed to mental institutions because they were gay.

       One result of growing up in this hostile climate was that we tended to
be very circumspect about our sexual orientation.  We didn't want to live in
the closet, but we came out of the closet very cautiously and mostly after
dark.  When the war was over thousands of us flocked from rural areas and
smaller cities to great metropolitan centers like New York, Chicago, San
Francisco and Los Angeles.
       
       By day, most of us were anonymous, melting into the straight
population
and working at a variety of jobs.  On our own time we favored friendly gay
bars in sections of the city that were in effect gay ghettos.  We didn't
think
of these areas as power bases; they were simply places where we could be
openly and comfortably ourselves.

       Some veterans in my age group still aren't comfortable in straight
surroundings.  They may be very skillful at assuming a straight facade, but
they prefer to stick to their own group of gay friends where they can be
themselves and feel at home.  GLB VETS serves an important function in their
lives by providing social activities for them and by bringing them news of
veterans' benefits that they would otherwise be unaware of.

       Until our organization held seminars for seniors, it had never
occurred
to many of them to go to VA Medical Centers for health care.  Some didn't
even
realize that they were entitled to do so.

       One problem of gay World War II vets is that many worked at low-income
jobs, so they have even smaller financial backlogs than straight veterans of
the same age. In spite of the myth that gay men earn fantastic salaries, we
earn less on average than straight men do.  By the same token, lesbians earn
less on average than straight women. Of the four groups, lesbians have the
lowest average income by far.

       Some veteran advocates have suggested that the best solution for the
threat of homelessness among older veterans would be retirement villages
cosponsored by the Federal Government and states or cities.  The residents of
these villages would pay a third of their income in rent and would live in a
cooperative environment.

       We do not see this as a viable solution for gay older veterans.  As an
unpopular minority they would feel very isolated and unhappy in a community
that is predominantly straight.  That's why we believe it would be preferable
to develop programs that would enable them to stay in their present
apartments, so long as they are physically able and mentally competent.  This
would be the most economical and humane solution and the one most conducive
to
independence and physical and mental well being.

       Isolation can be a problem for older gay veterans, especially those
who
have outlived a lover with whom they shared many years of their lives.  A
small minority of gay World War II vets are parents and grandparents, but
most
of us have no younger generation to serve as a support group for us.

       That's why we would favor a satellite VET CENTER in the Greenwich
Village area, one in which GLB VETS would play a key role.  Ideally, this
might be

Ideally, this might be combined with a storefront drop-in center.  The
stresses and anxieties in the lives of our gay World War II vets make them
good candidates for group and individual counseling, but GLB VETS would have
to play an intermediary role for some who are resistant to the idea of
therapy.

       As this aging population of veterans becomes more vulnerable to
chronic
physical ailments that require periodic check-ups or treatment, neighborhood
medical clinics would also be highly desirable.
 
       Some gay older vets are reluctant to deal directly with any agency of
the government, even with the V.A.  Our organization, GLB VETS, is the group
they trust, the group they turn to first.  For many gay World War II
veterans,
including myself, GLB VETS is our family and our home.  To steal a line from
Robert Frost, this is our place where when we have to go there, they have to
take us in.

-----
(The writer is currently serving as Acting Executive Vice President for the
Gay: Lesbian: Bisexual: VETERANS, of Greater New York, is a longtime member,
and, a decorated World War Two veteran.)
-----
(Conclusion)