The "gay" lifestyle ... Once again we read the truth, from a "gay" man. We came across a sad article in InNewsWeekly: "Old gay men don't die, they're just pushed away." The author complains that their old age is one of loneliness and rejection (should they even make it past the land mines of AIDS and other diseases related to homosexual sex). Yet this is a "lifestyle" we're encouraging young people to embrace.
The natural thing is for one's sexuality to wane as one ages. For heterosexuals, this change is usually accompanied by relationships with one's own children and then grandchildren. That's because a heterosexual's natural sexuality usually produced children at some point. Since "gay" men (by definition) refuse to accept natural sexuality, most do not have children (except from some hetero relationship or adoption). As their bodies get old, the "gay" culture will not tolerate them as sex objects. And since so much of their earlier lives focused on sex -- so much of their energy was poured into what sounds like an exhausting existence -- they have little to fill this void as they age.
Now one might very well ask why doesn't this fellow just settle down and get "married"? (And P.S.: You might want to avoid the Fens and Herring Cove.)
Growing up we are taught to respect our elders; we are not encouraged to have sex with them. Not only does the general population frown upon intergenerational liaisons, but as a rule the aged are excluded from all things sexual. Middle aged individuals are expected to transform from if not vital, then at least potential, erotic beings into sexless geriatrics whose sole purpose is to dole out baked goods, financial support and advice. Most of the elderly heterosexuals I know seem to take this exclusion in stride, however for many elderly gay men this sexual segregation is the worst part of growing old. Raised in a culture where personal worth is integrated with sexual _expression and validation, many older gay men wake up to find both their buttocks and their sexual worth have fallen through the floor. It is not a welcomed discovery.
One need travel no further than the Fens in Boston or the dunes at Herring Cove in Provincetown to see this sexual exclusion in action. While the more junior varsity members of the gay community use these venues for a bit of anonymous slap and tickle, the attending senior set is more often than not left to their solitary devices. This is not for lack of trying. I have witnessed numerous elderly attempts at engagement with the younger men in these environments, but nine times out of ten they are either ignored or actively discouraged. The message could not be clearer: We may suffer your presence, old man, but not your participation. This dismissal is largely based on the fact old men rarely fit the mainstream definition of "hot." ...
