Older gay men are conquering TikTok
The phrase “older gays” used to make me feel dramatically sad, until I saw the new TikTok stars - gay grandfathers with 10 million followers, including Rihanna, Jessica Alba and every celebrity you know. They changed my idea of old age. She can be funny and rich.
79-year-old Robert Reeves, 67-year-old Michael Peterson, 78-year-old Bill Lyons, 69-year-old Jesse Martin have all lived together on a luxury ranch near Palm Springs for more than 10 years. Colorful pensioners with a good sense of humor fell in love with their neighbor, an enterprising 35-year-old producer who watched their life through the fence. He advised them to make videos for TikTok. They started by creating the account “Old Gays” and blew up the social network, receiving the status of grandinfluencers. Grandfathers have become symbols of aging Americans—not just homosexuals, but heterosexuals too. In their videos, they not only dance and dress up, but also tell stories about coming out, dating, the spread of AIDS and their turbulent youth. And, of course, they work out advertising contracts.
Old gays have become so popular that even in nursing homes, residents are now making TikToks too. They say it is very rejuvenating. Americans are generally concerned about the problem of old age - in 2030, for the first time in the United States there will be more elderly people than children. Social surveys show that 86 percent of retirees do not want to go to a nursing home. But the lifestyle of the “Old Gays” is changing direction: what could be cooler than having fun while away your last days with friends on a ranch in Palm Springs? Without all these sad faces of young relatives, whose purpose is reduced to offering that very glass of water.
If a nursing home awaits me, then please, only this one with my girlfriends. You can be in the neighborhood with old gays. Let's be friends at home.
Author: Yunia Pugacheva
