The Golden Gays peer support group in Visalia

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A local group is proving it's never too late to start something new, even in your golden age.

Meet The Golden Gays.

"If feels like a party sometimes, people walk in and I am playing Sylvester music from the 70s and people walk in, there is food and then we sit down and talk, what do people need," said Tyler Mendoza of The Golden Gays.

The South Valley group is made up of gay men 55 and older, and is a safe space to connect, network, and find support.

They started meeting at The Source LGBT+ Center in Downtown Visalia this year.

"The first time we called the meeting, 'a place at the table' because everybody gets a place at the table, and as a gay man, we don't always have a place at the table," Mendoza said.

Mendoza and Reyes Anaya helped create the group and say the need for peer support is crucial.

"We get to talk about our desires, our fears, our ambitions, to be social. The first meeting we had, we were talking about healthcare," said Anaya.

With tears in his eyes, Reyes says his generation faced a lot of discrimination and isolation...he reflected on the importance of having a community to count on or someone to call.

"Because back then, as a gay person, they were expelled from the family or had no connection, so now they are alone. I want this to continue being a positive for not only seniors but for the community," Reyes said.

Brian Poth, Executive Director of The Source, is proud of the Golden Gays' quick growth and encourages anyone in need to stop by.

"If they didn't exist and didn't fight for our rights, we would not be able to have a community center so seeing more folks come out and half fun and be visible, it does a lot for our younger generation," said Poth.

The Golden Gays meet the last Friday of every month at the Source in Visalia from 6 pm to 8pm.

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