In November 2009, Dr. Don Kilhefner called together a meeting at his home of gay men who were already doing eldering, either consciously or unconsciously, in the Los Angeles gay community or elsewhere. This was the birth of the GAY ELDER CIRCLE.

The purpose of the meeting was to create an organization that would support and encourage the development of awake elders in the gay community and facilitate intergenerational communication and cooperation. The work was based on the traditional understanding that there were four stages of being across the lifespan—ancestor, elder, adult, youth—each with its own roles and responsibilities. The CIRCLE understands there is a high degree of interdependence among the generations.

For a year and a half this original group of men met monthly to discuss what it means to be a Gay Elder and created the infrastructure of the CIRCLE by becoming a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization and by opening a website to do community outreach and networking. On July 31, 2011, the CIRCLE “came out” through its first public event—an afternoon titled The Gay Elder: Archetype of the Spiritual Father (a DVD of the event is available in the Store)—and the process of intelligently enlarging the CIRCLE began.

The founding members of the GAY ELDER CIRCLE are Brian Doran, Rocco Grillo, Ed Hansen, Don Kilhefner, Allen Page, Ray Hogenson, John Ruggles, and Fred Wilkey.