Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services

Revised laws and policies exempting religious organizations from anti-discrimination provisions are taking a toll on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders, a new report claims.

The report notes that approximately 85% of nonprofit continuing care retirement communities (also known as life plan communities) are affiliated with a religion. Religiously linked facilities also provide the greatest number of affordable housing units for low-income seniors. Moreover, 14% of hospitals in the United States are religiously affiliated, accounting for 17% of all the country’s hospital beds.

“Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services” was released by the think tank Movement Advancement Project, Columbia Law School’s Public Rights/Private Conscience Project, and SAGE, an advocacy group.