DSS projects

QT-Elders*

It is with great pride that Dignity Seniors Society announces the QT-Elders for 2025.

Identified through community nominations, these four outstanding individuals further demonstrate the profound impacts that elders have had on enriching and safeguarding 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. They join our inaugural QT-Elders from 2024.

What better way to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Revolution on June 28th than to honour our QT-Elders.

The goal of the QT-Elders Project is to identify, honour and celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ elders in British Columbia. These are individuals who have contributed to the flourishing of our

communities through their leadership, altruism, and courage.

* The name of this project was amended with the inclusion of ‘T’ to better reflect gender identity.

Inaugural QT-Elders 2024

In Memoriam - Chris Morrissey

It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of Chris Morrissey this past April (2025). Respected and beloved by many throughout Canada, Chris very much embodied the principles of elderhood through her activism, integrity, generosity and kindness. Chris was part of the inaugural cohort of Q-Elders in 2024. She will be forever missed and never forgotten, and her legacy will live on for years to come.

“It is a privilege and an honour to be a Q-Elder. I am glad to have been a trailblazer and made a difference in our community”.

2025 QT-Elders

We Are Familee

Dignity Seniors Society (DSS)’s "We Are Familee" program is a pilot volunteer initiative aimed at supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors to age in place (“Aging In Place”). DSS will conduct an environmental scan of Metro Vancouver to assess existing services, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.

In partnership with Haro Park Centre Society, volunteers will be recruited to support seniors using a circle of support model.

The program will develop video training modules focusing on the specific needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, incorporating a strength-based, trauma-informed approach to reduce stigma and discrimination, while promoting cultural and intersectionality awareness.

By creating a sustainable, volunteer-led initiative, the "We Are Familee" program aims to address the systemic challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, particularly those experiencing social isolation, poverty, and health inequities.

Upon completion, DSS plans to replicate the initiative across British Columbia, offering specialized training for other "Aging in Place" programs, leveraging their history of providing education to health authorities and non-profit organizations in the healthcare field. 

Implementation Approach

  • Environmental scan: conduct an environmental scan of Metro Vancouver to assess current services for 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, identify gaps, and provide recommendations for improvement. 

  • Pilot volunteer program in collaboration with Haro Park Centre Society. Volunteers will support 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors at Haro Park Centre through comprehensive services including weekly/bi-weekly social visits, appointment accompaniment, emotional support, advocacy, and connecting clients to community groups, events, and online support systems.

  • Develop video training modules: create online training modules covering cultural and intersectionality awareness, best practices for supporting aging 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, volunteer safety, boundaries, and self-care. These modules will be based on advisory member feedback and ongoing volunteer input, initially for pilot project volunteers, with future expansion to other organizations providing aging in place services.

Sister Sledge, (1979) We Are Family [official video]

Sister Sledge (1979) We Are Family [ lyrics ]

We Are Family is the third studio album by the American R&B vocal group Sister Sledge, released in the U.S. in January 1979. The album features the hit single We Are Family, recognised by many 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors and older adults.

In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

The song has become an expression of solidarity in various contexts.

Dignity Seniors Society has chosen the anthem - stylized as We Are Familee - as a fun and nostalgic way to indicate our solidarity in being part of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors chosen family support network. 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️