Abstract
A sample of 37 gay men, aged 40 years and older, recruited in 2010 from four highly developed Anglophone countries, were asked how they viewed or related to old gay men (OGM) when they were young or first came out. Thematically analysed, participants’ answers revealed three principal narratives: acceptance; ambivalence; and avoidance. The majority accepted or respected OGM while just over a quarter of the sample said that they avoided them. The principal narrative, acceptance, included those who accepted OGM as social-sexual partners, respected them for their status or achievements or for surviving to old age. The ambivalent narrative was present in accounts from men who either did not know OGM when they were young or first came out or whose views had changed over time. Avoidance was a narrative drawn on by men who disliked OGM’s physical appearance or objected to their social attitudes. Our analysis of the data suggests that not only were ageist attitudes in the gay world less prevalent than previously assumed and reported in published research but also that an interesting congruence of views and experiences existed between men recruited from different parts of the globe.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aldrich, R. (2003). Colonialism and homosexuality. Routledge.
Anderson, E., & McCormack, M. (2016). The changing dynamics of bisexual men’s lives: Social research perspectives. Springer.
Bennett, K., & Thompson, N. (1991). Accelerated ageing and male homosexuality: Australian evidence in a continuing debate. The Journal of Homosexuality, 20(3–4), 65–75.
Berger, R. (1982). Gay and gray: The older homosexual man. University of Illinois Press.
Bruner, E. (2001). Ethnography as narrative. In L. Hinchman & S. Hinchman S. (Eds.), Memory, identity, community: The idea of narrative in the human sciences (pp. 264–280). State University of New York.
Bryman, A., Becker, S., & Sempik, J. (2008). Quality criteria for quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research: A view from social policy. International Journal of Research Methodology, 11(4), 261–276.
Carnaghi, A., Rusconi, P., Bianchi, M., Fasoli, F., Coladonato, R., & Hegarty, P. (2021). No country for old gay men: Age and sexuality category intersection renders older gay men invisible. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430220987606
Carr, D. (2001). Narrative and the real world: An argument for continuity. In L. Hinchman & S. Hinchman (Eds.), Memory, identity, community: The idea of narrative in the human sciences (pp. 7–25). State University of New York.
Chauncey, G. (1994). Gay New York: Gender, urban culture, and the making of the gay male world, 1890–1940. Basic Books.
Cohler, B. (2004). Saturday night at the tubs: Age cohort and social life at the urban gay baths. In G. Herdt & B. de Vries (Eds.), Gay and lesbian aging: Research and future directions. Springer.
Cronin, A., & King, A. (2010). Power, inequality and identification: Exploring diversity and intersectionality amongst older LGB adults. Sociology, 44(5), 876–891.
Cruz, J. M. (2003). A sociological analysis of ageing: The gay male perspective. Harrington Park Press/Howarth Press.
Emlet, C. A., Shiu, C., Kim, H. J., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. (2017). Bouncing back: Resilience and mastery among HIV-positive older gay and bisexual men. The Gerontologist, 57(Suppl 1), S40–S49.
Handlovsky, I., Bungay, V., Johnson, J., & Oliffe, J. (2020). Overcoming adversity: A grounded theory of health management among middle-aged and older gay men. Sociology of Health & Illness, 42(7), 1566–1580.
Harris, D. (1996). The homosexual body. Salmagundi, 109-10, 105–126.
Heaphy, B. (2007). Sexuality, gender and ageing: Resources and social change. Current Sociology, 55(2), 193–210.
Hostetler, A. (2004). Old gay and alone: The ecology of well-being among middle-aged and older single gay men. In B. De Vries & G. Herdt (Eds.), Gay and lesbian aging and research: Future directions. Springer.
Lyons, A., Alba, B., Waling, A., Minichiello, V., Hughes, M., Barrett, C., Fredriksen-Goldsen, K., Edmonds, S., & Blanchard, M. (2021). Recent versus lifetime experiences of discrimination and the mental and physical health of older lesbian women and gay men. Ageing and Society, 41(5), 1072–1093.
Marciano, A., & Nimrod, G. (2021). Identity collision: Older gay men using technology. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 26(1), 22–37.
Murray, S. (2000). Homosexualities. University of Chicago Press.
Nardi, P. M. (1992). Sex, friendship, and gender roles among gay men. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Men’s friendships (pp. 173–185). Sage.
Plummer, K. (1995). Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds. Routledge.
Robinson, P. (2008a). Older gay men’s recollections of anti-homosexual prejudice in Australia. In S. Robinson (Ed.), Homophobia: An Australian history (pp. 218–235). Federation Press.
Robinson, P. (2008b). The changing world of gay men. Palgrave Macmillan.
Robinson, P. (2011). The influence of ageism on relations between old and young gay men. In Y. Smaal & G. Willett (Eds.), Out here: Gay and lesbian perspectives VI (pp. 188–200). Monash University Publishing.
Robinson, P. (2013). Gay men’s relationships across the life course. Palgrave Macmillan.
Robinson, P. (2021). Sex and older gay men. In T. Hafford-Letchfield, P. Simpson, & P. Reynolds (Eds.), Sex and diversity in later life: Critical perspectives (pp. 113–119). Policy Press.
Shapiro, P. (2005). Turn the beat around: The secret history of disco. Faber & Faber Limited.
Simpson, P. (2013). Alienation, ambivalence, agency: Middle-aged gay men and ageism in Manchester’s gay village. Sexualities, 16(3–4), 283–299.
Simpson, P. (2014). Differentiating selves: Middle-aged gay men in Manchester’s less visible “homospaces.”. British Journal of Sociology, 65(1), 150–169.
Simpson, P. (2015). Middle-aged gay men, ageing and ageism: Over the rainbow? Palgrave Macmillan.
White, E. (1998). The political vocabulary of homosexuality. In B. R. S. Fone (Ed.), The Columbia anthology of gay literature: Readings from western antiquity to the present day (pp. 777–785). Columbia University Press.
Wierzalis, E. A., Barret, B., Pope, M., & Rankins, M. (2006). Gay men and aging: Sex and intimacy. In D. Kimmel, T. Rose, & S. David (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aging: Research and clinical perspectives (pp. 91–109). Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/kimm13618-006
Zablotska, I. B., Holt, M., & Prestage, G. (2012). Changes in gay men’s participation in gay community life: Implications for HIV surveillance and research. AIDS and Behavior, 16(3), 669–675.
Acknowledgements
We thank colleagues who read and commented on early drafts of this chapter: Dr. Helen Marshall, RMIT University, Melbourne; Professor Jenny Martin, Federation University, Melbourne.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Robinson, P.B., Simpson, P. (2022). How Gay Men Viewed Old Gay Men When They Were Young or First Came Out. In: Blidon, M., Brunn, S.D. (eds) Mapping LGBTQ Spaces and Places. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-03792-4_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-03792-4_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-03791-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-03792-4
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)