SUN CITY – As the Chairperson of Technology Committee, a member of the Communications and Web Portal Committees, and the Vice President of the Cyclepaths bicycle club, among his other standings, Greg Ward of N.17 is known to his friends and neighbors as a real stalwart of the Sun City Community. In November of 2009, Ward stepped forward into the Community once again and broke new territory when he founded the Rainbow Pride Diversity Network (RPDN)Special Interest Group.
Call Rainbow Pride Diversity Network founder Greg Ward at 224-715-0582 or email Greg at sunctyrainbowpride@att.net More information can be found on Rainbow Pride Diversity Network’s Web Portal site.
Ward founded the RPDN to serve the gay and lesbian residents of Sun City, along with parents in the Community who have gay or lesbian children, and other residents with gay and lesbian relations or friends. However, Ward said, there are no limitations as to who may join, and all residents are welcome.
“[Rainbow Pride is] very broadly defined. Nobody has to wear any particular label,” Ward said. “My intent in creating it was to build a social outlet for people and a support for people here in Sun City who may feel like they’re the only ones.”
Ward said the feeling of “We thought we were the only ones” is the common feedback he’s received from new members.
“Usually someone only knows one other person in Sun City [who is gay or lesbian],” said Ward. “The constant feedback I get is, ‘We’re so surprised there’re more people than just me.’”
Ward added that the bulk of the members have been in long-term relationships. One couple, he noted, have been together for 55 years. Ages of members, Ward said, run the gamut, with members into their mid-80s.
When Ward founded Rainbow Pride, the Special Interest Group started with six members, a number that Ward is proud to have seen grow to 25 in the nearly six months since its establishment.
Members meet from 5 p.m. to about 10 p.m. the fourth Saturday of every month. While still in its infancy, Rainbow Pride meetings are primarily contained to a social gathering. However, Ward said, community outreach is important to members and is on the agenda. In fact, Rainbow Pride is in early talks with the human resources department at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Elgin about participating in Provena’s nondiscrimination classes for employees.
“I see that we can … [help] educate the broader community … that yes, there are gay and lesbian people living out here and that there are gay and lesbian seniors, in fact,” Ward said. “I think that really [dispels] a lot of stereotypes for people.”
The exact percentage of the Sun City Huntley gay and lesbian Community is unknown to Ward, and on account of longstanding stigmas, it may never be fully realized. But Ward does believe that Rainbow Pride will continue to grow. Thus far, Ward said, the support from the larger community has been very positive and the the new Special Interest Group has been well received on all levels of the Community.
“I think people just see people as regular people, particularly in a relationship, whether it’s a man and a woman, two men, two women,” Ward said. “Everybody relates on the same terms.”
Recently, Ward researched Sun City Communities nationwide in search of other groups or support networks for gay and lesbian residents in their respective Sun City Communities and found one called the Lavender Friends Club, which consists of 60 members, in the Sun City of Lincoln Hills, California. Coincidentally, the Lavender Friends Club was also established in 2009. However, opposed to Rainbow Pride, Lavender Friends is a Charter Club.
“My goal,” Ward said, “is to help people feel comfortable about themselves.”
