Editor's Notebook
Editor's Notebook
A self-described “senior gay man” – who declined to sign his name – wrote in to the OITM web guru wondering what we and “the gay community in general” in Vermont could offer “older gay men & women.” After announcing his opinion that we had “very little” to offer, he said he had recently moved to Colchester and found OITM “interesting but strictly youth oriented just as most of the national [publications] are.” He concluded that it was “time that local publications such as yours start giving us some recognition. The life span of seniors is growing very fast,” he wrote, and by 2005, people over 65 “will represent 25% of the population.” So, he adjured us, “please wake up & smell the coffee.” He signed himself “A Concerned Gay Senior.”
Although I turn 50 this month, I’m not quite senior enough, so I passed the note along to a slightly more senior MPM Board member, Richard Slappey. Because he brought up some good points, I’m excerpting parts of his response.
“A few years back, as an older gay man living in a society that appears more and more skewed toward the young, I, like you, found myself frustrated by what I perceived as a lack of voice – especially in my community,” Richard wrote. “However, after bitching about it for a while, I decided that I would never be heard if I just sat back and complained. I realized that to claim my rights to a voice I had to get active and stay active in the large mixed bag of individuals we call a glbt community. Rights carry responsibilities. This realization led me to involvement.”
Richard has served for 3 years on the Mountain pride Media Board of Directors. His experience there has given him first-hand experience in how difficult it is to get members of our community – of any age – to commit to carry out organizational tasks. Keeping the community going isn’t all parties (although we have those too: fundraising parties of various stripes, the Founder’s Day thank you party, the all-day-presence-at-Pride-party, theatre parties, OITM newspaper stuffing parties every month). It’s work and meetings and phone calls and reading or writing reports and grant applications. It’s paying attention to the details that make the organization successful enough to fulfill its mission. It may not be as much fun as marching in the Pride Parade, but without that commitment, there would be no Pride Parade.
“You have an issue and a very valid one. I say why not do more than write a letter to the editor – write an article for the paper!” Richard continued. “OITM does not choose to be ‘strictly youth oriented.’ It appears this way because seniors aren’t stepping up and letting their voice be heard.”
Richard closed with a call to action: “Come join me ‘to fight the good fight’ and make the senior voice a voice of positive action and energy in our community!”
On one hand, both the “concerned gay senior” and Richard Slappey – and 70-something Board member Alverta Perkins in numerous conversations – have a valid point about our entire society’s youth orientation. As a nearly-50 woman, I’m not quite invisible yet, but I – and my 50- and 60- and 70-something sisters – seem to be steadily fading away in print and broadcast media. Unless, of course, we’re using adult diapers (euphemistically known as “incontinence products,” think “Depends”); taking drugs to lower our cholesterol – reduce how often we have to pee – decrease our menopausal hot flashes – heal our acid reflux-damaged throats; buying long-term care insurance; or dealing with our dentures.
But I must dispute the characterization of OITM as “youth oriented.” Since I became editor each issue has contained one or more articles about or by someone over 60. Our health issue (May) alone included an article by an 80-year-old doctor, a piece on motherhood by a 70-something retired health professional, and an article on an issue of concern to all of us, but particularly to elders – living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care.
The voice missing here is not that of elders, but that of youth, and to address that lack I have extended an open invitation to the LGBTQIA youth at Outright Vermont to write for the paper each month. So far I’ve had no takers, but I’m still hoping.
My goal is to provide a welcoming space in print and on the web site for the members of our diverse communities – from teens to gen-Xers, to baby boomers, to elders; from any and all races and ethnic backgrounds – to write engagingly about whatever it is that interests or concerns you and has a connection to our communities.
Corrections:
We missed a photo credit for the photograph of author Lesléa Newman in last month’s issue. The photographer is Mary Vazquez.