When Maggie Redding and Sylvia Daly told staff at their retirement complex that they were in a civil partnership 13 years ago, they expected a positive reaction. But Redding, now 83, and Daly, now 80, found themselves suddenly so ostracised by other residents at the complex in Wales that they felt obliged to move out. They had to put their leasehold flat in the development up for sale.
The experience makes the women especially appreciative that they now live in a complex — the New Larchwood on the edge of Brighton, on England’s south coast — that explicitly markets itself as “LGBT+ affirmative”, meaning it seeks to be supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other non-heterosexual residents.
The couple’s story illustrates some of the challenges facing the growing numbers of older LGBT+ people as they contemplate moving into retirement housing. Activists and housing providers in Europe and North America increasingly recognise that the group faces particular risks and has specific needs from retirement homes of all kinds.