West Palm Beach ranked #2 among top U.S. cities for LGBTQ retirees

 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/senioradvicecom-announces-top-20-cities-for-lgbtq-friendly-retirement-in-2019-300826349.html

SeniorAdvice.com rates West Palm Beach as a top city in the nation for LGBTQ retirees

Leading resource for advice for seniors identifies annual list of best cities for LGBTQ seniors.

 

The City of West Palm Beach has been rated the #2 city in the United States for LGBTQ retirees by SeniorAdvice.com, one of the nation's top senior housing referral services.  The only other Florida cities on the list were Fort Lauderdale (#7) and Tampa (#10).

"Once again the City of West Palm Beach has been recognized as being one of the most LGBTQ-friendly places in the United States," said retired judge Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. 

PBCHRC is Florida's oldest, independent, non-partisan, political organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The organization promotes equality, through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation, and community outreach. Over the years, PBCHRC has been responsible for the implementation of more than 135 laws and policies providing equal protections, rights, and benefits for the LGBTQ community. 

"For more than three decades, elected officials in West Palm Beach have worked together with community leaders, nonprofit organizations and dedicated volunteers to ensure that our city is one of the best places in the country for LGBTQ people to live, study, work, create families, socialize and retire," said Hoch. "It is encouraging that their efforts on behalf of LGBTQ seniors have been acknowledged."

The top twenty U.S. cities named by SeniorAdvice.com as the most accommodating for LGBTQ seniors in 2019 are:

1. New Orleans, LA
2. West Palm Beach, FL
3. Tucson, AZ
4. Toledo, OH
5. Alexandria, VA 
6. Tempe, AZ
7. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
8. Austin, TX
9. Dayton, OH
10. Tampa, FL
11. Pittsburgh, PA
12. Boulder, CO
13. Albuquerque, NM
14. Asheville, NC
15. Eugene, OR
16. Salt Lake City, UT
17. Boise, ID
18. Buffalo, NY
19. Bridgeport, CT
20. Santa Ana, CA

According to recent estimates tracked by Gallup Surveys, the national population identifying as LGBTQ is increasing - among the top 50 metropolitan areas, the LGBTQ population averages 4.5 percent. By 2050, the senior population is expected to double to 88 million people aged 65 and older. With these numbers increasing each year, the need to discover locations that are welcoming to LGBTQ seniors also increases.

SeniorAdvice.com recognizes that the LGBTQ older adult community is currently a very important part of the American population to consider, and has dedicated much time and energy to supporting this group.

"SeniorAdvice.com has been an invaluable resource for seniors, their family members, and caregivers. We're also very dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and we wanted to make sure we could assist members of the gay and lesbian community in finding the best locations for retirement and senior housing," said SeniorAdvice.com CEO and Founder, Ryan Patterson.

To view details regarding the top gay-friendly cities in America for seniors in 2019, click here. 

Eric Burchill and Kavyasree Chigurupati to receive the Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards

Eric Burchill and Kavyasree Chigurupati, graduating seniors at Wellington High School and the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, respectively, have been granted Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards, the annual scholarships presented by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

The Council, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, awards the annual scholarship to college-bound graduating seniors who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. 

 

The Social Justice Award is named after Daniel S. Hall, a local attorney who manages a financial counseling company.  Hall, Treasurer of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council since 1990, is the Council's longest-serving board member. As the father of three grown children, Hall has always had a strong interest in education. Over the years, has mentored several LGBTQ students.  

Eric Burchill

Eric Burchill, a senior at Wellington High School and a National Merit Scholar, will be graduating as his class valedictorian  As Vice President of the school's Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Eric has worked to encourage the acceptance and equality of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities through school events, decorations, and physical and verbal expression of ideas. He has also helped organize trips to Palm Beach Pride events, as well as local youth summits for the LGBTQ+ community. In college, Eric plans to study neuroscience, while continuing his advocacy for the LGBTQ community and his work for animal rights.

Kavyasree Chigurupati 

Kavyasree Chigurupati is the intersectionality leader of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She is also the co-founder of Technicolor, a GSA zine that functions as a platform for LGBT+ artists to express themselves. Kavyasree's passion for social justice extends outside of the GSA, and she was voted "Class Activist" by Dreyfoos' class of 2019. 

"My experience at Dreyfoos has shown me how important it is to represent LGBTQ voices through creative expression," Kavi told PBCHRC.

Kavi will be attending the Honors College at Rutgers University, where she intends to continue her fight for social justice as a Political Science major.

"Both Kavi and Eric have been passionate advocates for the local LGBTQ community," said PBCHRC Vice President Carly Cass, whi has coordinated PBCHRC's scholarship program since its inception in 2015.

Dan Hall will present the $1,000 scholarships to Kavi at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Senior Awards Night on April 29 and to Eric at the Wellington High School Senior Awards Night on May 16.