Setting the Gay Scene: Orientation, Definitions and Themes

Abstract

Are middle-aged gay men ‘past it’ — socially and sexually — if not prematurely old? It has been said in gay male cultures individuals can begin to feel old after the age of 30 (Duncan and Barrett 2013). If this is so, can middle-aged gay men expect little more than rejection and isolation as they slide towards the ultimate misery represented by the epithet, ‘lonely old queen’? The stakes are high and, with such concerns in mind, this book examines midlife gay men’s experiences of growing older in Manchester, the third largest city in the United Kingdom (UK) and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGB&T) capital of the North of England. The city has a highly developed, differentiated gay scene. Its ‘gay village’ in the heart of the city is seen as the most visible aspect of a gay culture second in size to London, and provides all manner of social, political, cultural, sexual, economic and other opportunities. The village has grown exponentially since the mid-1990s, and (perhaps uniquely) since that time has proven highly popular with heterosexuals (Binnie and Skeggs 2004) seeking identification with its trendiness and tolerance of sexual difference.

I’ve had younger men ask me on the dance floor, ‘What the hell are you doing here? This place isn’t for old men.’ Most of these young people when they see people like us, or me rather, they see their own fathers … [Laughs]. They don’t expect to find their parents or even their grandparents at the same disco, do they?

(Tony 59)