National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day2026 · Date · History · Messages
SAGE/National Resource Center materials identify May 16 as National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day; congressional resolutions have also recognized the observance.
About National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is a United States recognition observance held on May 16 to honor older LGBTQ people whose lives, advocacy and community work helped create opportunities and protections for later generations.
Chase Brexton Health Care’s LGBTQ elder programs created the day in Baltimore in 2016. Current Chase Brexton materials continue to present it as a national recognition day and as part of the organization’s ElderPride work.
Why National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day matters
The observance centers gratitude, intergenerational learning and awareness of the experiences of LGBTQ elders. It encourages communities to recognize both visible movement leaders and people whose quieter acts of persistence, care and authenticity shaped LGBTQ life.
It is an awareness and appreciation observance rather than a federal public holiday. Community organizations, healthcare providers, libraries, advocacy groups and individuals may mark it through storytelling, education and recognition events.
History of National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day
Chase Brexton Health Care’s current advocacy page says National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day was created in 2016. Chase Brexton’s 2019 annual report says its LGBT Health Resource Center spearheaded the effort to create the day in 2016 and continued national awareness work for the annual commemoration.
A 2025 Chase Brexton release states that the Center for LGBTQ Health Equity inaugurated the national day of recognition in Baltimore in 2016. Current 2026 Chase Brexton event materials describe the day as founded in Baltimore, now celebrated coast to coast and part of the ElderPride program.
A Maryland Department of Aging page later described the observance as established in Maryland in 2015 by Chase Brexton Health Care in collaboration with SAGE. Because Chase Brexton’s own repeated first-party accounts date the creation/inauguration to 2016, this guide uses 2016 as the verified creation/first-edition year and preserves the 2015 statement as a source discrepancy rather than silently merging the dates.
The reviewed evidence supports May 16 as the recurring annual date, but it does not establish a formal statutory founding instrument, a separate adoption date, the exact first public event date or why May 16 was originally selected.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton Health Care
Chase Brexton’s 2019 annual report says the LGBT Health Resource Center spearheaded the effort to create National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day in 2016; a 2025 Chase Brexton release says the successor Center for LGBTQ Health Equity inaugurated the national day in Baltimore in 2016.
Chase Brexton Health Care
Chase Brexton’s own advocacy, annual-report and event materials identify its program as the creator/inaugurator of the observance.
First documented observance
Chase Brexton says the day was created in 2016 and later describes its Center as having inaugurated the national day in Baltimore in 2016. The reviewed evidence does not establish an exact first public-event date, so only year precision is asserted.
Chase Brexton Health Care
Chase Brexton continues to maintain the advocacy information and hosts current National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day programming through its ElderPride / LGBTQ health-equity work.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
5 fields not established in reviewed sources
Also known as
National Honor LGBTQ+ Elder Day
How to Observe National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day
Thank an LGBTQ elder who has influenced your life, community or understanding of equality, and be specific about the contribution you appreciate.
Record or share an elder’s story only with their permission, preserving their preferred language, name and level of privacy.
Attend a community storytelling, education or intergenerational event focused on LGBTQ aging and history.
Learn about practical issues affecting LGBTQ older adults, including social isolation, affirming healthcare, housing, caregiving and legal planning, using current specialist resources.
Support organizations that provide services, advocacy or community connection for LGBTQ elders throughout the year rather than limiting recognition to a single day.
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day Facts
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is observed annually on May 16.
Chase Brexton Health Care says the observance was created in 2016.
Chase Brexton’s 2019 annual report says its LGBT Health Resource Center spearheaded the effort to create the day in 2016.
Current Chase Brexton materials continue to present the observance as a national day of recognition and part of its ElderPride program.
Congressional resolutions have been introduced to recognize the observance, and national LGBTQ aging resources also support its continuing recognition.
The reviewed sources do not establish a formal statutory founding instrument, an exact inaugural-event date or why May 16 was selected.
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day Messages
On National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day, thank you to the elders whose courage, care and persistence helped make wider possibilities real for the generations that followed.
Today we honor LGBTQ elders for the histories they carry, the communities they built and the lessons they continue to share.
May National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day be a reminder to listen to elders, preserve their stories with care and support their dignity throughout the year.
Honoring LGBTQ elders means more than remembering the past—it also means making sure older people have respect, connection and affirming support today.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
GovInfo — H.Res.407, 118th Congress (opens in a new tab)
Official Federal Record
Maryland Department of Aging — later government account of the observance’s Maryland establishment; useful corroboration but contains a 2015 chronology that conflicts with Chase Brexton’s repeated first-party 2016 dating (opens in a new tab)
Chase Brexton Health Care via GlobeNewswire — 2025 release; Center for LGBTQ Health Equity inaugurated the national day in Baltimore in 2016 (opens in a new tab)
Chase Brexton Health Care — 2026 event page; founded in Baltimore, national reach, 2016 registry reference and current ElderPride stewardship (opens in a new tab)
Chase Brexton Health Care — Advocacy page; created in 2016 and purpose (opens in a new tab)
Chase Brexton Health Care — FY2019 Annual Report; LGBT Health Resource Center spearheaded creation in 2016 (opens in a new tab)
GovInfo — H.Res.424, 119th Congress (opens in a new tab)
Official Federal Record
SAGE National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging — resource guide (opens in a new tab)
National Resource Center
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day?
16 May The documented recurrence rule is: 16 May.
Does National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United States / elder-recognition observance supported by SAGE and the National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day?
The reviewed sources identify Chase Brexton Health Care as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton Health Care. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Chase Brexton Health Care.
Is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to United States. Its fuller verified scope is: United States / elder-recognition observance supported by SAGE and the National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-09.
When is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day?
It is observed annually on May 16.
Who created National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day?
Chase Brexton Health Care’s LGBT Health Resource Center spearheaded the effort to create the observance; Chase Brexton dates its creation/inauguration to 2016.
When did National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day begin?
Chase Brexton’s first-party materials identify 2016 as the creation and inauguration year. The reviewed evidence does not establish an exact first public-event date.
What is the purpose of National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day?
It honors the lifetime contributions of LGBTQ elders, encourages gratitude and intergenerational learning, and raises awareness of the experiences of older LGBTQ people.
Is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day a federal public holiday?
No. It is a recognition and awareness observance rather than a federal public holiday.
Other observances on May 16
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UNESCO 39 C/Resolution 16
International Day of Living Together in Peace
A/RES/72/130
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