Creating a community for queer seniors – one drag bingo lunch at a time
on October 21, 2026
Katana Barnes spent an hour and a half on a recent Friday driving from Sacramento to the Emeryville Senior Center, just to attend the annual drag bingo event.
“I don’t know a lot of senior queer Black people, especially this level of senior,” said Barnes, 65. “It gives you an opportunity to see what life looks like as you progress,” she said.
Over the past three years, Emeryville Senior Center and local drag artist Ms. Sweet Nothing have created a community for LGBTQ+ older adults and are trying to make that space more visible. The September event Barnes attended was the center’s third, with more than 100 seniors coming together for lunch and bingo.
The center is trying to create a community where LGBTQ seniors feel safe, said Tamika Wright, recreation program assistant. It is building programs based on what that community wants.
Drag bingo was a popular choice. All 125 spots were claimed, with 20 people on the waitlist. It was open to other Bay Area groups, including St. Mary’s Center and Ashby Village, with the hope of growing the program into something bigger.
“We don’t mind that we have to drive,” said Carla Halyard, who lives in Novato.
This was her second time attending drag bingo at the ESC. She was the one who invited Barnes. Friends for 10 years, they both turned 65 this year and call themselves “baby seniors.” Like Barnes, Halyard has been looking for a community.
“My family kind of threw me away when I was 17, when I came out, and so I’ve been forging on on my own,” Halyard said. “And it’s very important as we age to have community, and I don’t have that.”
Social isolation is a significant challenge for queer elders. A 2024 AARP study of LGBTQ adults over age 45 found that more than half feel socially isolated at times, and about 80% worry about having enough social support as they age.
“We want them to know, now you can be supported, too,” said Wright.
Hosted by Ms. Sweet Nothing, or Robby Kendall, the event took place in the main hall of the Senior Center, which is in the Veterans Memorial Building on Salem Street.
Rainbow flags, rainbow-shaped cards and colorful tinsel draped the hall. Participants — many using crutches or wheelchairs — sat at tables covered with rainbow runners. Free meals, drinks and desserts were served before bingo began.
Kendall said such an event for seniors was long overdue.
“Many aren’t out after 7. They’re not dancing in the clubs at midnight,” Kendall said. “What seniors don’t like bingo? Get them engaged, get them to connect, to socialize again on their time, it’s just exciting.”
Kendall was approached three years ago by a team of senior center leaders in the Bay Area, including from ESC, who proposed combining a lunch gathering with bingo games and a drag performance. Kendall eventually took over developing the program and handling funding.
“I wear many hats — and heels,” he said, laughing.
The events have grown as participants in previous years invited friends to come along. Kendall said people ask months in advance about tickets.
Sponsorship also has grown. Some of the biggest sponsors include Stanford Health Care, Sutter Health, The Public Market, and Bay Street Emeryville.
Wright said that even though they did not have a budget in the past, they tried to organize lunch gatherings on a smaller scale and a monthly pride peer support group.
A quarter of the center’s members aged 75 to 79 identify as LGBTQ, Wright said. “We wanted something that catered to them and celebrated them as well as every other cultural event or holiday,” she added.
Nationwide, SAGE, which advocates for LBGTQ seniors, estimates that by 2030, there will be about 7 million LGBTQ people in the U.S. who are 50 and older.
“LGBTQ+ older adults may be asking themselves, ‘Will my LGBTQ+ identity be respected and honored?’” said Karen Cushing, business development director at SAGECare, which trains healthcare and other professions in creating more inclusive environments.
“Aging service providers should think about how inclusion shows up across the entire experience — from staff training and policies to healthcare, housing, social connection and opportunities to build community with other LGBTQ+ older adults,” she added.
Back at the ESC, both Barnes and Halyard won a round of bingo and took home prizes.
“It’s great to see a variety of people, people of every gender and every ethnicity. So it makes it really cool to be able to get a different perspective of what life could be as you age,” Barnes said.
She has worried about what life will be like as she ages, without a partner.
But on Friday, the two friends saw the possibility of finding a community.
“This was probably the highlight of my weekend,”Halyard said, “just being able to be around so many like-minded people and so many people that we know each other’s struggle, we know each other’s walk.
“This gave me something to look forward to.”
Nellie Hannon Gateway complex on San Pablo Avenue offers a home and free meals for many who have gone without.
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