The guest this week on the Jewish Sacred Aging Podcast is Heshie Zinman, chair of the LGBT Elder Initiative in Philadelphia. The LGBT Elder Initiative  is committed to assuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults have rights and opportunities to live vibrant, creative and mutually supportive lives. To achieve this vision, the mission of the LGBTEI is to foster and advocate for services, resources and institutions that are competent, culturally sensitive, inclusive and responsive to the needs of LGBT elders in the Delaware Valley and beyond. The LGBTEI is dedicated to building bridges between Aging and LGBT service and community organizations and consumers through advocacy, information, education and referral.

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About the Guest

Heshie Zinman has a long history of activism on both the local and national level. He has a passionate commitment for the health and well-being of LGBT and HIV communities and helped shape the city’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the period of 1987-1998. He was a driving force behind the start-up of Action AIDS, AIDS Fund, SafeGuards Gay Men’s Health Project and Delaware Valley Legacy Fund. He founded the AIDS Library of Philadelphia (which today resides at Philadelphia FIGHT) and went on to become the Executive Director of the AIDS Information Network. Heshie has worked as HIV Community Relations Manager for Dupont Pharmaceuticals Company and Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals. He currently serves as board chair of the LGBT Elder Initiative. Heshie has served on many other boards of directors, most recently joining the board of Philadelphia Corporation For Aging and the Mayor's Commission on Aging. Born in Philadelphia, Heshie holds a BA degree from Penn State University and an MBA from St. Josephs University.