City, SAGE Ads Target LGBTQ Puerto Rican Seniors
Advertisements running in New York and on the island will focus on mental health
BY MATT TRACY
In response to elevated rates
of trauma and suicide among
older gay men in Puerto Rico,
the New York City Department
for the Aging (DFTA), Thrive
NYC, and Advocacy & Services for
LGBT Elders (SAGE) are partnering
up for a joint public relations
campaign aimed at informing and
connecting queer Puerto Rican seniors
— both in New York City and
on the island — with appropriate
mental health services.
The idea for the new advertising
campaign originated last November
when First Lady Chirlane Mc-
Cray and DFTA staff visited Puerto
Rico. The group met with the team
at SAGE’s outpost on the island,
where they learned that the fallout
from the hurricane and other
hardships led to increased depression
and anxiety among older
queer adults. Those woes have
since been exacerbated by both the
coronavirus pandemic and a wave
of deadly violence targeting transgender
women. The plans for the
campaign were underway before
the latest crisis emerged, but now
SAGE and DFTA realize that the
effort is even more timely.
“The overall message is to basically
inform people that you’re not
alone and that there are resources
out there for you,” DFTA Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
told Gay City News in a phone interview
May 18. “During COVID
and post-COVID, the message of
combating social isolation and not
being alone is true for us, for all
50-plus age populations.”
The campaign touts services
that are available to individuals
One of the advertisements running as part of a joint initiative between the New York City Department
for the Aging, Thrive NYC, and Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders.
in both places who are in need of
help, such as counseling and a
hotline. Cortés-Vázquez hopes the
publicity will inform those who are
not aware of services available to
them while also reducing stigma
among Puerto Rican and Latinx
communities.
Notably, stigma is a theme that
appears to be on the mind of those
involved in the campaign. Jose
Collazo, who is the site manager
at SAGE’s Bronx center and hails
from Puerto Rico, emphasized that
the issue is one that already permeates
Puerto Rican society.
“I see that with LGBTQ participants
who come here,” Collazo told
Gay City News. “They say, ‘oh no,
I’m not crazy,’ or they see it as a
weakness, so therefore they’d rather
not talk about it.”
Collazo pointed to one example
of a SAGE client who suffered a
panic attack, but refused mental
health referrals and brushed it off
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT FOR THE AGING
by saying he was just nervous.
SAGE conducted focus groups
in Puerto Rico, where respondents
indicated that they did not feel valued
or loved. The helplessness and
frustrations of queer Puerto Ricans,
Collazo said, was on full display
in the protests that targeted
Governor Ricardo Rosselló after it
was revealed that the since-ousted
leader engaged in homophobic and
sexist chat conversations.
“That was a boiling point,” Collazo
said.
The ads, produced by creative
fi rm Bandujo, are intended to be inclusive
and encompass the broader
queer community beyond just gay
men. Some ads feature transgender
men and women, while others
include lesbians and queer couples,
Cortés-Vázquez said.
The ads are running in Spanish
in English and in both Puerto Rico
and New York since the fi ve boroughs
boast a signifi cant Puerto
HEALTH
Rican population that often travels
back and forth between the city
and the island.
“Recent natural disasters and
COVID-19 have devastated our
community and Puerto Rico —
leaving many of us to deal with
the loss of jobs, homes, and loved
ones,” one of the English-language
advertisements states. “If you’re
struggling with depression, anxiety,
or thoughts of suicide, YOU’RE
NOT ALONE. Talking about it is
the fi rst step in feeling better…
There is no shame in asking for
help!” The ad then provides individuals
with steps that can be
taken to help them cope, as well as
contact information for SAGE.
In Puerto Rico, the ads will appear
on Facebook and on billboards
in major traffi c corridors in
the San Juan and Mayaguez sections
of the island, as well as on radio
stations including WKAG-AM,
WIAC-AM 740, WZNT-FM/La Z 93,
Notiuno, WYEL-AM, and WIOBFM.
In New York, the ads will be on
Facebook and in community newspapers
including Queens Latino,
El Especialito, El Diario, El Correo,
and Gay City News.
The ads offi cially launched on
May 18 and will continue through
the month of June, though no offi
cial end date has been determined.
Cortés-Vázquez expressed
optimism that a similar campaign
could potentially be carried out for
other demographics in the future.
“I want to say this is the fi rst
of its kind collaboration between
Puerto Rico and New York,” she
said. “The campaign is designed to
be replicated for other communities.
That would be depending on
the data, but absolutely.”
➤ EAST HARLEM MURDER, from p.20
into the hallway before hitting him
across the torso and neck with “an
unknown weapon.”
Cops tased Mrkulic, the Daily
News reported, and took him into
custody in a dramatic scene during
which video footage caught
cops carrying him as he was naked.
He was transported to Metropolitan
Hospital for treatment and
observation and later charged with
fi rst-degree murder, second-degree
arson, and two counts of assault
on a police offi cer.
Citing police sources, the Post
and the New York Daily News both
reported that Mrkulic and Rodriguez
were in a relationship, though
an NYPD spokesperson would not
confi rm that detail to Gay City
News, saying, “I don’t have those
particulars.” No further details
have emerged regarding the relationship
between the two men.
Police did not explain how the
fi re started, but the Daily News
reported that it originated on the
stove. Five cops received medical
attention for smoke inhalation.
Two employers listed for an Aljo
Mrkulic of Queens on social media
could not be reached for comment
on May 18.
A spokesperson with the Manhattan
district attorney’s offi ce
told Gay City News on May 18 that
Mrkulic is still awaiting arraignment.
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