Sunday, December 05, 2004
Older gay men
There is nothing in the world like hanging out with older gay men. Or at least the ones I know. Their anecdotes are usually entertaining but also rather embarrassing - especially if they've had a few too many and they're not aware of how loud their voice has become. They seem to be able, despite their ageing years, be incredibly quick and poignant with their well-crafted witty (and also bitchy) comments. They have an innate ability to remember every line of every camp Hollywood flick and every line of every song sung by a 20th century diva. SIDE NOTE: I have an entire Shirley Bassey greatest hits album playing in my head right now.
I think it's important for younger gay men to associate with older gay men. I'm not meaning in a sugar-daddy type situation. I mean associate in a more platonic fashion. Once we get past seeing all older gay men as sleazy ogars drooling at us from their well-impressioned bar stools, we can actually start to see their importance as role models in our community (and besides, it might shock you to realise this, but not all old gay men find you attractive). Heterosexual men usually source their role models from their families. For gay men this is seldomly the case so we have to look elsewhere. Some older gay men retire gracefully, some party hard until their livers explode. Some have been in relationships for 50 plus years. Others are terrified of being in relationships. What they all have in common is that they've survived so far.
Gay men tend to fear growing old more than the straight population. This is partially due to our disconnection with the older generations of gay men.
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