RainbowVision Blog

Everything's Relative

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:38:00 +0000

Everything Is Relative

I have to admit it- I am idealistic. I wanted the health care plan to be single- payer, socialized medicine. I also understand now, that getting something done that has never been done before takes a big dose of realism.

Which is more important: getting something done at all, or getting it done perfectly the first time?

Being part of the effort of getting RainbowVision out of the ground helps me understand a small part of what President Obama has had to face. His project took a hundred years to complete. And it will still need continuous and arduous refinement until we even get close to the kind of success Germany has with their health care.

Progress takes time. The idea for a community like ours began to be envisioned by our population after the StoneWall riots, almost 41 years ago. RainbowVision was established in 1998 expressly for the purpose of providing Senior Care and Residential Services, from Active Adult levels through to Assisted Living in a resort/club style environment to the LGBTQI &A population. We officially opened in June 2006, with Assisted Living following in July.

We know that some aspects of community include living within close proximity and having opportunities for socialization. Additional aspects that define this community is its financial model which means sharing the financial responsibilities in order to make a lifestyle available to the greatest number of people. In this community, that includes access to various levels of assistance with daily living activities.

As in any business, more usage by more people keeps costs down, because it allows for bulk buying and the amortization of labor costs. Colonization or splintering has a negative effect on the economics and ultimate success of any community. Establishing a colony of one member’s vision or needs over another, by insisting on smaller organizational units within the community only drives up costs up for everyone. Smaller organizational units have less buying power, less opportunity to share costs, and most importantly, less income to subsidize those expenditures.

For example, if you need a can of paint, you will pay full price for the can, and maybe not use it all. If two people need the same color paint, we can buy a bigger can than it would cost for two cans, and if a third person needed that same color we could possibly get our room painted for a third the cost, with nothing left over. This is called “economies of scale”, and it is the basis for the financial model of this community.

This is more or less the same concept that is the basis for the all public health care plans in the world throughout history. The more people pay into the plan, the lower it costs to provide the service- hence “mandatory” participation is required. Not unlike buying a condo here requires paying for an amenity package of services, per initial contract agreement.

The concept isn’t new. There is safety in numbers. Our survival depends upon community unity; financially, socially and politically. That means all of us, not some of us. RainbowVision Santa Fe is now moving into its fourth year. Everything is relative, when we reflect on the fact that it took over a hundred years to get a universal health care plan in place.

THE HISTORY OF THE HEALTH CARE PLAN
Before March 23, 2010, the US was the only industrialized country that had no universal health care system. Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been signed into law, the United States will have a form of universal health care by 2014.
From the time of Teddy Roosevelt, the issue of health care reform has been on the table as a government item. Roosevelt's Bull Moose campaign coincided with a health care revolution, when medical capabilities and costs were expanding rapidly. Germany had a compulsory health-insurance program since 1883, and the British National Insurance Act passed in 1911. The American Progressive Party pushed a much more specific program in state legislatures in 1915, but the plan was never adopted. The program's resemblance to German policy did not help once the United States entered into World War I. In 1919, with the Red Scare, state health insurance opponents branded the program Bolshevism.

As early as 1935, FDR wanted a national health care plan to be included in the Social Security Legislation. Harry Truman, the next president, wanted a fund that everybody would contribute to, like we contribute to social security, to provide the money for this plan.

In the second half of the 20th Century, health care reform saw it’s greatest triumph to date – the creation of Medicare and Medicaid as part of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society”. The proponents of the plan saw the same arguments, the same fights and the same inevitable failures that have dogged it nearly every time. Johnson signed the Medicare bill with Harry Truman in attendance at the Truman Presidential Library. With a stroke of the pen, 19 million elderly citizens now had access to health care. Oddly enough, the U.S. did not immediately turn communist, forget its values and lose sight of its freedom. And Medicare remains the single most popular option for coverage in the United States.
Richard Nixon introduced his Comprehensive Health Insurance Act on Feb. 6, 1974. It would have built upon existing employer-sponsored insurance plans and would've provided government subsidies to the self-employed and small businesses to ensure universal access to health insurance. Even as the Watergate scandal was unfolding, Ted Kennedy brokered a compromise between the White House and Democrats. But pressure against the plan came from the left , particularly labor unions, who thought that with a Democrat sure to retake the White House in 1976, they could get a better deal on health care reform then. Ultimately, time ran out when Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974. Faith in government had been badly weakened in the 1960s, from the Vietnam War, the culture wars raging at home, and a mounting sense that you just couldn’t trust the people in charge. The president resigning in shame was another massive blow to our collective psyche. It is one that has taken years, if not decades, to recover from.
The Clinton health care plan was a 1993 health care reform package proposed by the administration of President Bill Clinton and closely associated with the chair of the task force devising the plan, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton. In August 1994, Democratic Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell introduced a compromise proposal that would have delayed requirements of employers until 2002, and exempted small businesses. A few weeks later, Mitchell announced that his compromise plan was dead, and that health care reform would have to wait at least until the next Congress. The 1993 Clinton health care plan is sometimes called "HillaryCare" by opponents.

With passage of the legislation on March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama has achieved the signature domestic goal of his presidency, and the most sweeping piece of social legislation since the 1960s Great Society initiatives that saw the passage of Medicare and Medicaid.
Universal coverage is a goal that has eluded Presidents going at least as far back as Teddy Roosevelt, and Obama's bill comes as close to that target as anyone has. One hundred years later.

Barney Frank: Out in Politics

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:57:00 +0000

On November 11, 2009, I spoke about “Coming Changes-the View from Washington DC on Politics and LGBT Rights.” A large part of that information comes directly from gay Congressman Barney Frank, who presented remarks at the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce legislative event and at the No.Limits.org First Annual Public Policy Conference.

Politics runs in the family. Congressman Frank’s sister Ann Lewis, is a co-founder of NoLimits.org. Ann Lewis served as a senior adviser in Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Frank was born March 31, 1940 and is the United States House of Representative for Massachusetts 4th congressional district since 1981. As a member of the Democratic Party, he won his first full term in 1982, and he has been re-elected ever since by wide margins.

Frank became the second openly gay member the House of Representatives in 1987. Congresswoman Elaine Noble was the first in 1975. She served two terms, also in Massachusetts. What you may not know is that Elaine Noble was the first openly LGBT candidate elected to state representation in the United States; and the second out candidate ever to be elected overall. She was second only to Kathy Kozachenko, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, who was elected to city council in January,1974.

Of note regarding Noble’s election: I personally had the honor to play bass in an all female band called “Lilith” to celebrate her inaugural ball! Both Noble and Frank worked for Boston’s Mayor Kevin White, and then Frank served for a year as Administrative Assistant to Congressman Michael J. Harrington. In 1972, Frank was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. In 1980, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Boston’s 4th congressional district, hoping to succeed Father Robert Drinan. He has since been re-elected thirteen times and is widely considered to be one of the most powerful members of Congress, as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Barney Frank continues to focus on the Repeal of the ”Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” bill, getting ENDA passed (the federal employment non-discrimination act) and the LGBT right to marry. He currently resides in Newton, Massachusetts. His partner is Jim Ready, is a surfing enthusiast from Maine.

RainbowVision: NGLCC LGBT Business of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:11:00 +0000

From Joy Silver's acceptance speech 11/6/09:

My name is Joy Silver, and I am the President and CEO for RainbowVision Properties, Inc. Thank you Wells Fargo, and thank you, National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for this great honor.

In these challenging times, the New Success is Survival. So tonight, I accept this award for every business in this room that has survived. I am here to accept this Award for the RainbowVision Properties Principals Joyce Bogosian, Ava Stern and Jay Geisinger, and for RainbowVision Santa Fe LLC, the group of investors of who took the risk of investing money in a The Dream, with a new company, doing something that had never been done before, in an unsubstantiated and untested market. I am here to accept this award for the three original banks that also took the risk, and for the two New Mexican local banks who continue to be supportive to our project.
I am here to accept this Award for the RainbowVision Management Group of all the Managers, Directors and Employees of RainbowVision Santa. I am here to accept this award for Mayor Coss and the City of Santa Fe, Governor Bill Richardson and the State of New Mexico and especially, I am here to accept the award for the LGBTQI and A Residents and Members of RainbowVision Santa Fe itself.
Thank you all for RainbowVision Santa Fe the Dream Your Heart Made come True, and for this great honor.

To view the video behind the scenes: http://www.nglcc.org/BIZ/Video/joysilver

What's In a Name?

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:07:00 +0000

What’s In a Name-Joy Silver

Some of you may remember New York's Sahara Club, in the 70's. Its history is one worth honoring- and we did so by introducing the Sahara as one of our dining rooms here at RainbowVision Santa Fe.

The “homosexual stigma” kept gay social spaces in “back regions” hidden from public view. These spaces were therefore vulnerable to illegal intrusions, such as criminal activities (many cities had Mafia-controlled gay bars) and police brutality and corruption (gay sexual activity often “hides” in red-light districts).

Because gay and lesbian clubs catered to people who were stigmatized or who engaged in “criminal acts,” bar owners in most American cities were forced to pay the police or organized crime for “protection.”

Lesbians or gay men rarely owned gay and lesbian bars.

In the East, during the mid 60’s, all clubs tended to be owned and controlled by organized crime families.

The Columbo crime family had concealed stakes in several bars, motels and cocktail lounges, including places patronized by “homosexuals.” A sideline in the operation of such spots was the blackmailing of wealthy or prominent patrons. The Genovese family was reported to control many of the bars and nightclubs in Greenwich Village and on Manhattan’s fashionable East Side catering to “sex deviates.”

Civil rights took a leap forward in the end of the 60's, for all minorities including gays and lesbians. Once the Stonewall riots occurred in the Village, there was no turning back. Ownership of clubs by those who also were patron/ matrons was now a possibility.

In New York, the first to risk disturbing this illicit economic boon to organized crime was the Sahara Club on 1st Avenue on the Upper East Side. The Sahara Club became the first bar owned and operated by and for women. Michelle and Leslie, who today continue as party promoters for women's social events, took this great risk in the late 70's.

Pat Benatar and Ellen de Generis were among the first to perform at The Sahara, launching their careers as prominent performers.

Thank You, Truman Capote

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:23:00 +0000

Last week I put together a piece for “The Spectrum” - RainbowVision Santa Fe’s community newsletter. The piece was about Truman Capote, who we have honored by naming the library for. His spirit must have been demanding recognition, because suddenly everything Capote surrounded me.

First, I found a book about him in the room I was staying in. It consisted of interviews of people who knew him, peppered with interviews by the author of Capote as well. Then, I found a history of Hollywood’s nightclubs and restaurants, starting with its advent about 1915. Any book like that would have to eventually include Capote, since he was a well know figure in LA and NYC, particularly in places that served alcohol.

But the event that brings it to the EERIE level is the film on TCM, which I happened to have on, at some odd hour of the day I never watch TV. There was Truman Capote himself, in a ridiculous murder mystery farce that include stars like Dom Deluise, Peter Falk and Maggie Smith. Truman Capote was strange and wonderful, brilliant and terrible, and above all, never hid his sexual orientation. His bravery gave heart to many of us to accept ourselves, and to be out. At least, I know he did that for me. Truman, I miss seeing you on those TV Talk shows, and thank you, for your brilliance.

End of the Summer

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:57:00 +0000

End of the summer. In a way, I use this time as a "new year" as I do what I look forward to being an annual health retreat . Out here in Desert Hot Springs, I have been "forced" to slow down in temperatures of 117 plus. Maybe its all those years of schools with their September start. This time, I am adjusting my attitude to one of gratitude. I haven't watched the news for a week and it has helped a lot, although I do know about Ted Kennedy's passing, Images of what is wrong with everything over and over hasn't been helpful to my maintaining a positive vision of the world and our future, thereby making my effort to do so much more labor intensive.

So let me start by saying that among the many things I have to be grateful for, the arrival of the Members of the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network Leadership Council from American Society On Aging to RainbowVision Santa Fe is extremely exciting for me.

With LAIN members arriving from all over the country to discuss LGBT Aging Issues, along with RainbowVision Vancouver Canada's Dean Malone, the air will be sure to be charged with creativity as we all look at the joys and challenges of aging together to determine where we are as a population and where we are as a community. We will be sharing information and defining the trends on as many aspects of these issues as possible.

Here's to keeping the focus on moving things forward and to keeping joyful in our lives- no matter what.

Joy Silver, President/CEO

Ahead of the Curve

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Its not so easy, this aging thing. One of the big moments of realization for me happened around thirty. I was in the music biz then, and was performing in clubs as a singer-bass-player- writer in NYC, working towards signing that elusive record deal (yes, records- CD’s hadn’t happened yet). By the age of thirty-ish, if you aren’t signed, it more than likely won’t happen- and now that I understand the cold hard facts of business and investment- I understand why. A musical performer is seen as a product that requires a large investment over a period of years- and if they can’t get their investment out plus a healthy return, they aren’t interested. So the younger their product is, the more years to reap the returns.

Yup- it’s all about aging! So- what will aging look like for me? And in what environment? A force much bigger than myself took over my life in 1997- and so began the “magnificent obsession” to get RainbowVision out of the ground and open. Looking back, in light of the current economic crisis, it’s a good thing we were able to do so when we did. Today, it simply wouldn’t be possible.

Because the world has changed- economically, and generationally. This will be the largest generation of people over 50 in the history of the world. The LGBTQI &A population has lived with the acquisition of more civil rights than ever before. We are ready to add the option of RainbowVision as Community for the Seocnd Fifty Years. We are definitely ahead of the curve.

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:52:00 +0000

From a speech delivered by Joy Silver during RainbowVision Santa Fe's 3rd birthday celebration, June 27, 2009.

RainbowVision Santa Fe Investors, Members, Staff, Emerald City Foundation Members, RainbowVision Properties Principals Family Members, Loved Ones and Allies:

This weekend marks both the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots that took place in Greenwich Village New York, as well as of Judy Garland’s death.

The two things are related in that the sheer number of LGBT people attending Garland’s funeral in NY let us experience empowerment through seeing our strength in numbers.

The experience served as the inspiration to resist the police raid of the Stonewall Inn- forever marking the advancement of LGBT civil rights. It was the moment we left our symbolic oppressor behind.

This is a story we have heard before. An oppressed people left Egypt and spent forty years in the desert, and they, too spent 40 years of dissolving the bonds of oppression and recovering from emotional, spiritual and physical slavery. Like those people of ancient times, we LGBT people and our Allies are celebrating our moment of moving from being a population to learning to become a Community.

This afternoon, I feel blessed to be able to say, “Welcome to RainbowVision Santa Fe”.

Because this is a celebration-
a celebration, of survival -
A celebration against all odds,

A celebration that is riding the waves of the mortgage crisis.
A celebration in spite of businesses closing down all around us
A celebration in the face of the world economic crisis

It is a celebration of moving from ideals to reality-
A celebration of the progress of all of us,
Together,
Having learned from each other
As to what it takes to become a community.

So it’s no coincidence that, today, we are celebrating the third birthday of RainbowVision Santa Fe.

Because in the number three, we can see three stages of love.
That of Passion, of Intimacy and of Commitment.
It is said that the love we feel is based on the strength of these three things working together.

So:
Year One, then, might be seen as the Year of Passion
The passion that drove physical materialization and our move to this land -
The move from an idea to its physical form.

Year Two can be seen as the experience of Intimacy:
The year we found out who we are, what brings us together,
And what drives us apart.

And Year three, might be seen as the year of Commitment:
This year some of us are deciding if we stay together or move on.
And for those of us who have already decided to stay together -
We are looking at our shared achievements
And where we go next
And how we get there.

As we move into our fourth year, which represents the making real of the vision,
I, for one, look forward to our next year as one of great compassion-
And understanding,
And stability.

Happy Birthday RainbowVision Santa Fe. May all of our dreams come true.

Happy 3rd Birthday RainbowVision Santa Fe!

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:46:00 +0000

This was the message delivered by Joy Silver during RainbowVision Santa Fe's 3rd anniversary celebration on June 27th, 2009.

RainbowVision Santa Fe Investors, Members, Staff, Emerald City Foundation Members, RainbowVision Properties Principals Family Members, Loved Ones and Allies:

This weekend marks both the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots that took place in Greenwich Village New York, as well as of Judy Garland’s death.

The two things are related in that the sheer number of LGBT people attending Garland’s funeral in NY let us experience empowerment through seeing our strength in numbers.

The experience served as the inspiration to resist the police raid of the Stonewall Inn- forever marking the advancement of LGBT civil rights. It was the moment we left our symbolic oppressor behind.

This is a story we have heard before. An oppressed people left Egypt and spent forty years in the desert, and they, too spent 40 years of dissolving the bonds of oppression and recovering from emotional, spiritual and physical slavery. Like those people of ancient times, we LGBT people and our Allies are celebrating our moment of moving from being a population to learning to become a Community.

This afternoon, I feel blessed to be able to say, “Welcome to RainbowVision Santa Fe”.

Because this is a celebration-
a celebration, of survival -
A celebration against all odds,

A celebration that is riding the waves of the mortgage crisis.
A celebration in spite of businesses closing down all around us
A celebration in the face of the world economic crisis

It is a celebration of moving from ideals to reality-
A celebration of the progress of all of us,
Together,
Having learned from each other
As to what it takes to become a community.

So it’s no coincidence that, today, we are celebrating the third birthday of RainbowVision Santa Fe.

Because in the number three, we can see three stages of love.
That of Passion, of Intimacy and of Commitment.
It is said that the love we feel is based on the strength of these three things working together.

So:
Year One, then, might be seen as the Year of Passion
The passion that drove physical materialization and our move to this land -
The move from an idea to its physical form.

Year Two can be seen as the experience of Intimacy:
The year we found out who we are, what brings us together,
And what drives us apart.

And Year three, might be seen as the year of Commitment:
This year some of us are deciding if we stay together or move on.
And for those of us who have already decided to stay together -
We are looking at our shared achievements
And where we go next
And how we get there.

As we move into our fourth year, which represents the making real of the vision,
I, for one, look forward to our next year as one of great compassion-
And understanding,
And stability.

Happy Birthday RainbowVision Santa Fe. May all of our dreams come true.

Joy's Blog: Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

We officially opened in June of 2006 in Santa Fe NM, with ribbon cutting that included elected officials like Gov. Bill Richardson, and Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. Interestingly, the Santa Fe GLBT community has shown interest in having their blood relatives and loved ones live with us in The Castro, which is our Assisted Living. What surprises other people, although we expected this to be true, is the range of ages our members make up. The youngest is 44 and the oldest is 96. We see our population doing great advance planning for their futures - we get requests for information from people in their 30’s and 40’s. RainbowVision Santa Fe is an open and inclusive GLBT- majority community. We do encourage our allies to consider us as we believe a diverse community is the most interesting. We are a living laboratory, and our community members serve as an onsite focus group. We have benefited from the input of our members as to all aspects of living: wellness, physical fitness, dining, and events. What we have learned, and continue to learn, will be incorporated into our future communities as well.

There are a number of things that surprised me about our evolution. Let me mention the top two. The first is that community as an ideal, and learning/acquiring the skills to live in community, are two very different things. Many people want to live in community, but don’t know how to make this happen in reality. Our generation - that is Baby Boomers - have grown up with ideas like “rebel against authority” and “be radically opposed to things” rather than with the idea of, and skill to, negotiate in order to be part of. How a community defines itself becomes the bigger issue. We can say that there are essentially two ways community usually comes together. A group of people may become a “community” by uniting against something, or they may unite by coming together for the good of something. How both of these things might be accomplished in a way that accomplishes a forward momentum is then a question of how much skill a community has acquired or developed. Our members’ committees work with the residents to define needs, desires and wants. They are self governing and have learned to work with many, many different voices.

The second “surprise” is that I learned there are many more configurations of gender and orientation than I would have ever imagined! Some of our members are coming out for the first time at the age of 70 and beyond. One member felt so comfortable at RainbowVision that he is making the gender reassignment decision he has needed to, but couldn’t for fear of repercussion. Our allied members are unanimously supportive of each and every GLBT resident and their differences: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, pre and post op, queens and kings, femme, butch, etc. One of our allies makes it a point to have her own personal education dates with our members; she wants to know the proper language and the best way to talk with us so she does not offend! On the other side, some of our more senior LGBT members had initial fears about living with allies, based upon negative life experiences. These personal biases have also been overcome as we all live and learn together.

Of course, we are aware of the current economic storms and how this affects current and future members. While the downturn has been exceedingly sharp, we are in a favorable position of offering a literal and figurative shelter from the storm. We have seen a great deal of interest from people who no longer wish to live in vulnerable weather areas like the Gulf coast states and we talk to people who are very concerned about their future. It is clear to us that when weathering the economic and/or environmental storms, community seems to become even more important. Establishing a trusted family by choice circle to face life’s challenges holds a lot of meaning for not only our GLBT population, but, it seems, for the mainstream boomer population as well.

Hope February 2009

noreply@blogger.com (RainbowVision) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:42:00 +0000

As a people, it seems that we, the majority of LGBT people, are generally not easily identifiable or detectable to the mainstream population. Because we are not counted in the US Census as LGBT, and because orientation isn’t a nationally protected right, the qualitative and quantitative information other groups and populations use to justify policies, programs, and product and service development isn’t readily available to those who might initiate services for us. As you may know, funding is dependent upon this kind of information, whether it be for non-profit or for-profit organizations.

Obviously, we have to do it for ourselves

We know we are used as a political football to incense those who consider themselves fundamentally “religious”. Somehow this kind of activity translates into protecting “rights”. All of this funnels major dollars into what passes for a “conservative” political agenda. It also causes “we, the LGBT people” to funnel huge amounts of cash, and energy into repeatedly fighting the battle for our basic civil rights, over and over again- and that’s money and energy that we know could go into taking care of other major issues- especially in light of the current economic crisis in the world.

We know we have to do it for ourselves.

As an out LGBT woman, making sure there was a place we, the LGBT people, could come home to, and live in the majority, was a critically important thing to me. Any one who knows me can tell you that my relationship with my mother wasn’t great. If she could have seen that I have become a career lesbian- well- if she wasn’t dead already, Oi Vey!

Like many others, I longed for a place where I felt I was at home. And just like Dorothy, I longed to find that place- and Judy Garland convinced me it was somewhere over the rainbow.

Obviously- it wasn’t going to happen if we didn’t do it for ourselves

By 1997 I was haunted by the thought that changes would come to the world, and we wouldn’t be safe. Waiting for the world to care for us obviously wasn’t going to work- we learned that for sure in the 80’s- so it seemed to me that our best bet was to Envision Our Future, Ourselves- and to learn to be the Change we want to see in the world.

Well- we did do it for ourselves. Against all odds we opened in June of 2006- and not a minute too soon. No doubt that in today’s economy it would have been impossible.

As the first of its kind in the world, RainbowVision stands proud and strong in right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. What better place to face life’s challenges, then to be in a community that respects us, and loves us, for the very essence of our being.

Together, in all our diversity, as a Rainbow- we can face anything -

So Please- let this be an invitation to all of you- at any age. Come and see what your heart created in Santa Fe. Because RainbowVision is the Dream Your Heart, all of your hearts- Made Come True.

Thanks!