Homeward Bound

A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square

Carolyn Coal’s documentary explodes the myth that all gay people are young, beautiful, and possessed of gobs of disposable income. Like everyone else, members of the LGBT community grow old, oftentimes alone and broke. Lifelong friends and lovers may have died or otherwise departed, and family, especially among the current generation of seniors, may be either estranged, uncomfortable with the sexual orientation of their loved elder, or nonexistent. As one of the film’s subjects says, “It’s a shock to learn you’re old, gay, and nobody wants to be with you.” In Los Angeles, a city undergoing a general housing shortage, the crisis in affordable housing for seniors is dire. And for members of the LGBT community, who can present a unique set of needs, the crisis is even more keen. A Place to Live documents the development and construction of Triangle Square Hollywood, the country’s first affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors. Seven subjects are filmed throughout the project’s months-long lottery process, and through their personal accounts we learn why their desire to live in this new housing project is so intense. With their desire to move to the heart of Hollywood, these Los Angeles residents prove that, like seniors everywhere, LGBT seniors do not choose marginalization. – M.B.

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6:30pm.

This article appears in September 4 • 2009.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...

Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.