San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women

Resolution Recognizing Dr. Marcy Adelman

 

BE IT KNOWN That the Commission on the Status of Women of the City & County of San Francisco hereby issues and authorizes the execution, by the subscribing Commissioners, of the following commendation:

 

WHEREAS, Dr. Marcy Adelman has dedicated her professional career to serve the needs of older adults in the LGBT community; and, in particular, she conducted groundbreaking research that found an estimated 25,000 LGBT individuals over 55 in San Francisco; yet, despite these numbers, 2/3 of San Francisco's neighborhood senior centers reported that they do not have any LGBT individuals among their clients; Dr. Adelman's research further brought to light that older LGBT adults are more isolated, less likely to have children or other relatives to take care of them, and no more financially stable than heterosexuals of the same age; and, are subjected to subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination such as marketing materials for long-term care that do not include LGBT relationships or outright prohibitions on same-sex couples in senior housing that have forced LGBT individuals to deny their personal identities; and,

WHEREAS, In response to these barriers, Dr. Adelman and her late partner Jeanette Gurevitch founded OpenHouse, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to securing LGBT-friendly senior housing, providing culturally competent training for healthcare and social workers, and seeking legislative solutions to better meet the needs of older LGBT adults; and,

WHEREAS, In 2014, Dr. Adelman became a Founding Member of the LGBT Alzheimer's/Dementia Care Oversight Committee for the City & County of San Francisco, currently serves on the Advisory Council to the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services as well as San Francisco Village, a non-profit membership organization that empowers older adults to avoid institutional living and, instead, stay in their homes as they age; and, for these and other efforts Dr. Adelman was awarded the 2008 KQED Community Hero Award and the 2009 Purpose Prize;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women commends Dr. Marcy Adelman for her tremendous contributions to older LGBT women in San Francisco and the Bay Area and wishes her well in her future endeavors.

Olga A. Ryerson                                             Julie D. Soo                                               Breanna Zwart

San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women
August 24, 2016