What I do miss is a decent, sensible conversation. There’s gay saunas for that! I am beyond that. Besides, I have no interest in internet sites that are only looking for casual gay sex. Also, They claim they care for their members, though none of them has ever met me, so when I decided to stop paying their membership of four years because what’s the point if I can’t get to their once a month night meeting, There was no email to ask if I was alright.
Meaning MAG is totally useless to me for any sort of day time socializing. My Soulmate of fifty years dyeing 20 years ago so I’ve grown used to isolation. I am a gay 70 year old Hipster Bear with mobility issues and lives alone. In Sydney there is MAG, Mature Aged Gays, founded in 1990 and now the largest active group for mature Aged Gays and Bisexual men. To combat these growing statistics many Gay Community Centres are launching programmes and social groups for older gay men. Two thirds of gay seniors live alone versus one third of heterosexual seniors. Nearly 20 percent of gay seniors have no one to care for them should they become ill, versus 2 percent of heterosexual seniors. Some gay men also argue that other gays continue to search for the Fountain of Youth with plastic surgery, eating disorders, excessive gym hours and an obsession with body image. Of course, this doesn’t make mature gay men charity cases it only increases the pressure as ageing gay men begin to think about their futures. The recent attention and broader acceptance of gay marriage has also contributed to increased pressure for gay men to find love before it’s too late, or while they are still desirable. Even gay bars see floods of 18 to 21-year-old gay boys seeking love and sex from their peers, leaving older gay men on the side lines. It’s no longer a shock to hear of an openly gay 14-year-old or a 16-year-old in a gay relationship. Today, gay men are coming out at younger ages. The age discrimination and lack of attention older or mature gay men receive is synonymous with the pressure some women feel to get married and have children by a certain age. Over time, the age of desirability for gay men seems to get younger and younger.