Spain's First Gay Retirement Home Planned

Plans are finally underway for what is being hyped as Spain's first retirement community for elderly gay and lesbian residents.

As the BBC is reporting, construction on a home containing 115 new apartments is expected to begin in just a few months, though financing remains an issue. "We want to make sure old people who are gay can live out their lives freely with dignity and among equals," said Federico Armenteros, a representative for the new home who is busy recruiting both investors and would-be residents.

If everything goes according to plan, the new home will follow in the mold of Germany's Asta Nielsen Haus, which, as The Guardian reported, became the first elderly facility in Europe to cater to Berlin-based gays and lesbians. Though it's been 32 years since Spain lifted the law against homosexuality, one gay pensioner spoke of tackling prejudice while trying to permanent residence in an existing facility. "They started to ignore me...they wouldn't talk to me, and they insult me," he tells the BBC. "Even though my room has two beds, no one wants to sleep with me."