Educational Media Reviews Online

Aging is a challenge everyone faces, regardless of race or cultural background. The Netherlands is trying to increase the number of homes that cater to different groups of elderly people, so that they may choose a place where they will feel at home. For quite some time, homosexuals weren't regarded as a separate target group, even though they certainly felt the need for their own place in which to spend their older years. As a result, elderly homosexuals often feel lonely in regular senior citizen homes.

The L.A. Ries House in Amsterdam is the first assisted-living facility for gay and lesbian elders in the world. Four men and women are presented in this documentary. Each person shares her/his story - a story of the difficult times where they hid their true identities from friends and family. They recall the early days, including pre-war gay rights marches, gay cabarets and costume balls. They mention that senior citizen homes are still very traditional and that having gays in the midst is not appreciated at all; on the contrary, it is annoying for heterosexuals. For an elder gay person, there is the added fear of being pointed at in the street for being homosexual and met with verbal as well as physical aggression.

A nicely done documentary showing a venue of gay and lesbian issues neither rarely discussed nor too obvious to the general public. The picture and sound quality is good. It is in Dutch with English subtitles. It would be most suitable for academic departments of gender studies, gay and lesbian studies and social work. The video, itself, does not tell you details or horrors; however it addresses an excellent project. There are not many videos focused on elderly gays and lesbians. Recommended.