Social Security is the single most important financial safety net program for older people and makes the difference between poverty and a living wage retirement for a significant portion of older Americans. It was implemented in 1935 to help those who were either unable to work or find a job by helping to pay for basic costs of living. One of the specific populations targeted for support under the new Act were older people, as they were less likely to find employment as they aged, partly based on workplace discrimination that continues to this day.

But despite its intention to aid the country's most vulnerable, the Social Security Act's parameters have let many LGBT elders slip through the cracks. Despite paying into Social Security just like everybody else, LGBT older people are denied three of its key benefits: the spousal benefit, the survivor benefit and the death benefit.

First, the good news. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced several actions it will take to improve the health and well-being of LGBT people. These actions, which start to remedy the federal government's historic disregard for LGBT health, range from committing to increase the number of federally-funded health surveys that collect sexual orientation and gender identity data (a critical need - how can we effectively address LGBT health needs if we can't document them because the federal government excludes LGBT data from its surveys?), to measures to help ensure that current and future health professionals will be trained to provide appropriate care to LGBT people.

For LGBT older people, the most significant announcement was that HHS will instruct the states that they are empowered to treat same-sex partners the same as married heterosexual couples when it comes to protection from "spousal impoverishment" under Medicaid.

But often the results of a lawsuit come too late to provide real relief to those who have been hurt. And occasionally the lateness of the result is so dramatic you can almost feel the pain--even without having any personal connection to those involved. This is the case with last week's settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Clay Greene and Harold Scull, an elderly California couple who experienced horrific discrimination at the hands of County officials. The decision holds both the great promise, and the cruel limits, of a court victory. And yet I wish it could be said that this couple's tragic tale was an isolated incident.

As the head of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), I know that these stories about the gross mistreatment of the LGBT elderly occur far too often.

Recently I've found myself thinking about what counts as progress. The fact is that many of the federal policy changes that can make a huge difference in the quality of life for LGBT people aren't flashy enough to grab headlines when they happen.

For example, recently the U.S. Administration on Aging announced the very first federal grant to an LGBT senior program. The grant, to the L.A. Community Center to support a new senior program there, will make a big difference in the lives of older people, who too often live on the edge. And last week, the Department of Health & Human Services announced federal funding to create the first-ever national resource center to provide assistance to programs serving LGBT older adults.

We all have the right to be outraged that our relationships aren't respected equally, that we are not allowed to openly serve our country in the military, and that seniors in our community are denied the Social Security and Medicaid benefits that often make the difference between making it or not in old age. But one of the many wonders of working at SAGE and being surrounded by our community's older generation is getting the benefit of the wisdom that comes with age - that Rome wasn't built in a day, that making change is more often a slog than a revolution, and that progress comes from both relentless pushing and a dose of patience. Those messages make sense to SAGE folks even when we're dealing with the most reluctant public and private policymakers - yes, we talk to them all the time too. They make even more sense to us when we're talking about a President that has repeatedly declared a firm commitment to LGBT equality and has been buffeted by crises of monumental proportions during his first six months in office.

Instead, what caught my eye is the older man who is groveling on the floor in front of the young, sexy model. Our aging sneaker slave is desperately biting at the boy-toy's foot. For good measure, the model is holding the older man's neck down on the floor with his other foot. Check it out.