Sharing knowledge & culture is community care. Our book swap series is back at Town Bar & Lounge - and every other month after that. The Swig: Come and get a drink token for a free glass of bubbly from the bar. (Refills or other drinks are on you, though). The Swap: Bring a book that has meaning to you, gave you joy & escape, changed your mind, or offered knowledge about the world.
For its participants, Openhouse + On Lok Community Services is more than a day center. It is the place where they feel safe, supported, and seen. Over the past year, all of us at Openhouse + On Lok Community Day Services have taken time to deeply listen to LGBTQ+ seniors-to understand what people are feeling, what they are missing, and what they need to stay healthy, independent, and connected to the community they love.
In a moment when the world feels like it's on fire, the only thing we can count on is each other. Relationships and care are not just the foundations of any functioning society, they are the tools necessary to rebuild a failing one. As we've seen throughout 2025, communities have been scrambling to respond to the relentless onslaught coming from the federal government, the corporate class, and the well-funded institutions of the global right.
Earlier this year, a CNN story featured a Japanese prison that looked more like a nursing home. The story was striking: Some older adults in Japan are so lonely that they intentionally commit minor crimes to gain access to regular meals, healthcare, and companionship behind bars. This poignant example is not an anomaly. It signals a profound global challenge: how societies care for an aging population.
My friend David Enoch, who has died aged 99, made his greatest mark as a campaigner for humane mental health care and was a founding fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In the 1960s he served as a medical adviser to Barbara Robb, the psychotherapist who exposed neglect and abuse in long-stay NHS psychiatric wards and, through her controversial book Sans Everything (1967), pushed for major reforms.
The Sussex Beacon, a Brighton-based charity supporting those living with HIV, has announced it is set to become the UK's first-ever dedicated hospice for the queer community in Sussex.
