Came Out Decades Ago (CODA)
Organization profile published 1981
Publisher: Came Out Decades Ago (CODA), Toronto, Canada
Year Published: 1981
Resource Type: Organization
Cx Number: CX2204
Abstract:
CODA is a small group of lesbians and gay men in Toronto over the age of 40. We are primarily a social and self-educational group meeting twice monthly. We provide an alternative to the high-decibel bars and discos of the gay commercial establishments which mostly cater to youthful clientele. The group was founded in January, 1980.
"Our main barrier to growth is fear. Some members have suffered loss of employment in the past simply for being homosexuals. Others who have years of service and money invested in company pension and retirement plans fear the instant loss of these if they are 'discovered'. (We are not protected from loss of employment by either the federal or any of the provincial human rights codes." Many other lesbians and gays are reluctant to even contact a group such as ours and most inquiries don't result in membership.
"In spite of this, we try to play a role in the city's gay community and have raised funds for such organizations as the Gay Community Appeal and the John Damien Defense Fund. In 1980, we wrote the Attorney General of Ontario expressing our dismay at the insensitivity of members of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force and the Police Commission towards minorities, particularly the black and gay communities. We are concerned about the increasing number of attacks on the elderly on the streets and elsewhere."
"As we grow and become better organized, we plan to define our goals more precisely and organize ourselves to achieve them. We are in touch with two American organizations much further along the road than we are; NALGG (National Association Of Lesbian And Gay Gerontologists) in Los Angeles, and SAGE ( Senior Action In A Gay Environment), a social service group in New York." (Prepared by member of CODA).
This organization no longer exists.
This abstract was published in the Connexions Digest in 1981.
Subject Headings
