Compassion & Choices celebrates Pride with SAGE

Jun 14, 2022 newsletter Pride SAGE

Four Compassion and Choices staff members stand smiling on a rooftop in Washington, DC

From L to R, Osha Towers, Anthony Hinojosa, Alyson Lynch and Stella Dawson-Klein

This Pride month, Compassion & Choices is participating in events across the country celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. We were proud to be a sponsor of SAGE’s Pride kick-off event on Friday, June 10 in Washington, D.C. SAGE is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders. 

The event showcased and honored LGBTQ+ elders, including Urvashi Vaid, a pioneering activist and outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Vaid was honored with the SAGE Ken Dawson Advocacy Award in 2010. 

SAGE and Compassion & Choices have an enduring partnership. In 2019, SAGE endorsed medical aid-in-dying laws, emphasizing the importance of personal autonomy and end-of-life options for all. SAGE’s support recognizes the interconnectedness of the end-of-life options and LGBTQ+ movements, born out of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

Compassion & Choices staff and Stella Dawson, LGBTQ+ council member, attended the event. Stella’s wife, Mary Klein, was instrumental in the passage of the Washington, D.C. Death with Dignity law, and the ensuing protection of it. Stella continues her activism and advocacy to ensure others have access to this peaceful option at the end of life.