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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Bryan Ellicott-Cook, Director of Government Relations at SAGE
1:40:59
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3 min
Bryan Ellicott-Cook from SAGE testified about the alarming threats to LGBTQ+ elders and elders living with HIV due to hostile federal policies and budget cuts. He emphasized the real and targeted nature of these attacks, which are jeopardizing crucial programs and services for vulnerable LGBTQ+ older adults.
- Federal actions, including executive orders and proposed elimination of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), threaten to roll back protections and funding for LGBTQ+ elder programs.
- Local budget cuts, including a proposed $1.2 million cut to the NYC Department for Aging, could result in the closure of up to 60 older adult centers, four of which are run by SAGE.
- LGBTQ+ elders, especially trans and non-binary individuals, face disproportionate rates of poverty, discrimination, and isolation, making these programs vital for their well-being.
Bryan Ellicott-Cook
1:40:59
Good afternoon, chairs Brennan and Rustler, members of the committee.
1:41:03
My name is Brian Ilicott Cook.
1:41:04
I'm the director of government relations at Sage, and I'm here today to today with a clear message.
1:41:09
The alarm bells are ringing.
1:41:11
LGBTQ plus elders and elders living with HIV are under attack from a hostile federal government, ensuing issuing executive orders to dismantle so called woke programs to local budget proposals that threaten the very infrastructure of elder care.
1:41:26
These are not hypotheticals.
1:41:27
They are real, targeted, and already causing harm.
1:41:31
Since January of twenty twenty five, the federal administration has cultivated an increasingly aggressive stance toward LGBTQ plus Americans.
1:41:39
These attacks are not abstract.
1:41:40
They are targeted, calculated, and already impacting the lives of LGBTQ plus elders.
1:41:46
These funds supporting several of our core programs, our SAGE Centers for Older Adults and specialized initiatives like the LGB for our LGBT Veterans, programs such as SAGE Positive, SAGE Vets, and SAGE Trans, all designed to meet the unique needs of LGBTQ plus older adults, are now being targeted over the guise of eliminating so called DEI initiatives or WOKE programs.
1:42:07
These efforts are fur further fund fueled by recent executive actions, including the executive orders that would seek seek to roll back protections under the pretense of combating gender ideology.
1:42:18
We are deeply concerned as there is no clear sense of how these federal shifts may affect state and city funded streams or how they're being used to justify the cuts and programs that serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
1:42:32
Most recently, we've also seen the the proposals to eliminate the Federal Administration for Community Living, ACL, and it has raised alarms.
1:42:41
Without ACL, programs that combat elder isolation, provide affirming care can vanish overnight.
1:42:47
LGBTQ plus elders already experience disproportionate rates of poverty, discrimination, and isolation.
1:42:54
Trans and non binary elders, including veterans, are especially vulnerable to housing insecurity, medical neglect, and violence.
1:43:01
Especially now among an onslaught of anti trans rhetoric and legislation.
1:43:06
I wanna read a quote from one of my staff members.
1:43:08
He runs our long term HIV survivors group, and he says many participants remember when the government turned a blind eye to our community.
1:43:15
We are once again in a moment where history threatens to repeat itself.
1:43:19
And just then, we have communities who take care of each other, who rely on the support of our allies and loved ones, and we will continue to build towards a future where all LGBTQ plus elders are valued, supported, and can thrive.
1:43:32
Taken together, both federal and local attacks threatened to unravel decades of progress, including a proposed $1,200,000 cut to the depart New York City Department for Aging, which could shutter up to 60 older adult centers, which are lifelines for our community.
1:43:48
Four of those centers are run by SAGE.
1:43:50
SAGE is one of the few organizations nationwide focused solely on the unique needs of queer elders.
1:43:56
That's our mission.
1:43:57
And these mounting threats, fiscal and ideological, jeopardize our ability to do our work.