Not your grandma's lunch crowd

Between the rainbow-colored streamers hanging from the doors and the boom box blasting Erasure it was clear that Emmanuel Church wasn't hosting a traditional senior luncheon the morning of June 12.

For about four years the Newbury Street church has hosted Caf? Emmanuel, a weekly lunch for LGBT seniors sponsored by the LGBT Aging Project, and on the morning of the program's Pride Lunch about 50 seniors turned out to socialize, have a bite to eat, and show their pride.

The crowd, mostly men but with small pockets of women, gathered in clusters at tables throughout the church's event hall as volunteers wandered around with hors d'oeuvres. Despite the laid-back atmosphere, attendees said that the weekly lunch is a vital social outlet for the city's gay and lesbian seniors.

"In Boston they don't have anything for seniors," said Al Cortese, a Bostonian and member of the elder gay men's group Boston Prime Timers who has been coming to the lunch since its inception. "They don't have a senior center. So this is the only center we have, straight or gay."

Sam Goldfarb, another Prime Timer from JP and a regular at the lunch, said attendees come for more than just the food. On any given week the lunch brings in musicians to perform for the group or authors to talk about their latest book. But at its heart Goldfarb said the weekly lunch is about forming a community of LGBT seniors. He said what brings him back week after week is "certainly the comradeship, the getting to know each other, coming every week."

Lois Johnson, a former president of the lesbian activist group Daughters of Bilitis, said she normally attends the Aging Project's monthly women's "Out to Brunch" event, but has been to Caf? Emmanuel on several occasions. She sees those luncheons as particularly important for elders who either have or will soon transition from living at home to living in institutions like assisted living programs; she said the luncheons allow them to maintain ties with the LGBT community.

"Here at this age, over 50, there is such an enormous need for this sort of thing," said Johnson.

During the lunch visiting dignitaries, including Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons and MassEquality Political Director Matt McTighe, wandered the tables and chatted with attendees. Rabbi Howard Berman, who leads the Boston Jewish Spirit congregation that meets at the church, addressed the crowd and told them that both his congregation and Emmanuel Church's Episcopal congregation will be collaborating with the LGBT Aging Project to do joint programming with the elders at Caf? Emmanuel. Berman, who is openly gay, told Bay Windows the two congregations are planning to host speaking programs, do pastoral work with the seniors and pull together other programming.

"We want to take it beyond just offering a facility to building a partnership," said Berman.