AARP Hearing Center
Key takeaways
- Redefine aging by following the “Old Gays,” whose viral stories inspire millions to live authentically.
- Foster LGBTQ+ pride and resilience through their group’s candid conversations on identity, HIV and friendship.
- Experience timeless joy and belonging as the “Old Gays” bridge generations with humor and honesty.
Summary
The “Old Gays” are redefining aging and LGBTQ+ visibility with their viral TikTok presence, offering inspiration and wisdom to millions. With over 11 million followers, these trailblazers share authentic stories about coming out, friendship and finding joy in every chapter of life. Their candid reflections on resilience and embracing identity have made the “Old Gays” a powerful source of LGBTQ+ representation, showing audiences of all ages that it’s never too late to live openly and joyfully.
Through heartwarming humor, honest conversations about HIV awareness, and stories from their youth, the “Old Gays” foster a sense of community, empowerment and self-acceptance. For LGBTQ+ seniors and younger fans alike, their message is clear: Authenticity, laughter and connection are the keys to staying young at heart. Their content demonstrates the ongoing importance of intergenerational support and representation in the LGBTQ+ community, making every interaction a reminder that true pride is timeless.
The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
Full Transcript:
[00:00:00] Music: Everybody wanna dance with me, because I know I’m the life of the party, Mick: It’s so shocking to me that the young generation is so interested in us.
[00:00:14] I don’t feel old or forgotten. When we are on camera, we are ourselves.
[00:00:21] We are authentic. Jessay: That’s the fun part of being this age. I don’t care what you think I should be anymore.
[00:00:28] Joc: I’ve never thought I would reach this age, and I have been living the best years of my life with this group.
[00:00:35] Group: We, re "Old Gays,” and you ain’t seen nothing yet. Mick: We used to do dinners together.
[00:00:49] It was fun, like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas. Bill: Birthdays. Jessay: Days, just days.
[00:01:03] Bill: It was Bob, Mick and myself. “Old Gays” try the new slang.
[00:01:10] To me, it was just a lark. Robert: I didn’t even know what social media was when we started this.
[00:01:19] Mick: And it just started to snowball and snowball. It’s been gangbusters ever since.
[00:01:32] Group: We’re "Old Gays.” We have to go to the bathroom a lot. Mick: We do dances that are silly.
[00:01:40] Those are the ones that go viral. Robert: And we laugh at ourselves a lot. Mick: And
[00:01:45] that’s also what’s keeping us young. Bill: Back in the ’70s, I was the cat’s meow.
[00:01:51] Now I’m just catty. Robert: We also do things like photo pictures of then and now. Bill: And our coming out,
[00:01:59] and what we had to do, because we’ve been through some really rough times
[00:02:06] and our audience really, really enjoys hearing our experiences.
[00:02:11] Joc: I’m a late bloomer. I came out at the age of 37. Oh, I wish I had done it sooner. Bill: At 16 in high school,
[00:02:21] I wish I had someone that I could have talked to. Jessay: We just had 3 TV channels,
[00:02:27] and no internet. Mick: And very few, uh, gay characters who were role models. Joc: Yeah. Robert: People will say, “I came out to my parents today because of you guys.”
[00:02:40] It’s heartening to see that progress in our lifetimes.
[00:02:52] Bill: I was living in San Francisco in the ’70s and the ’80s. I lost 80% of my friends.
[00:03:00] Mick: I’m HIV positive. I’ve been positive for a quarter century. Robert: I, too, am HIV positive.
[00:03:09] We understand each other because of what we’ve been through.
[00:03:15] We feel a certain responsibility to those who we’ve lost to carry on
[00:03:22] and to speak for that generation. Bill: When I grow up, I wanna be as cool as these guys.
[00:03:33] Jessay: But we haven’t grown up either. Bill: No, we never will. Jessay: Never. Mick: The beauty of the social media network that we have is that
[00:03:41] your circle of friends is much bigger. Joc: Seeing us uplifts them. So it is amazing the power and influence this group has.
[00:03:52] Jessay: There it goes. Another heart to you, baby girl. Robert: I tend to be a loner type, but the times that I spend with these
[00:04:01] guys brings me out of that shell. Mick: When you’re retired, it’s really important, because that’s part of your social life.
[00:04:14] Jessay: This helps me a lot. This, uh, being an “Old Gay.” (Unseen speaker) I just hope people are happy
[00:04:21] to see our videos and make ’em an inspiration to themselves.
