Vermont LGBTQ Elders Advisory Group

The Vermont Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Elders Advisory Group has its roots in an initial gathering sponsored by The RU12? Queer Community Center in January 2004, to bring together people interested in addressing LGBTQ elder issues.

By September, 2004, with the help of seed money from The University of Vermont’s Social Work Department, the VT LGBTQ Elders Advisory Group (initially named the VT Queer Elders Project) was formed as a collaboration between The RU12? Queer Community Center and The Human Development and Family Studies Program (HDFS) of The University of Vermont (UVM). Initial members of the Steering Committee for the group were LGBTQ elders Robert Wolff and Alverta Perkins, Executive Director of RU12? Christopher Kaufman, and Professor Jacqueline (Jackie) S. Weinstock, then Chair of the Board of Directors for SafeSpace, an LGBTQQ anti-violence organization.  Shortly after the Steering Committee formed, Peggy Luhrs (an LGBTQ elder and an AmeriCorps* VISTA with RU12? and Hannah Hauser (SafeSpace Staff member) were appointed to it, and Jackie Weinstock was appointed as a member in her own right—as a UVM professor in the Human Development & Family Studies (HDFS) Program whose work includes a focus on LGBTQ elder issues.

The VT LGBTQ Elders Advisory Group was officially launched in the Fall 2005, run for a few months by the Steering Committee as a whole and eventually by Jackie Weinstock, who was appointed that fall as the group’s Director.  Jackie served in the Director role until July, 2007, with Co-Directors for some of this time (first, Peggy Luhrs, RU12 AmeriCorps* VISTA, followed by Shawn Lipenski, Health & Wellness Program Director at RU12, and then Fran Moravscik, an LGBTQ elder and volunteer group member).

Beginning Fall, 2007, the group intends to operate with two Co-Directors, one a member of the RU12 staff and one an LGBTQ elder.  Jackie Weinstock will remain a member of the group and serve officially as its Educational Consultant and University of Vermont Affiliate.