Here was what aging as a gay man in the 21st century was, could be, had been. YouTube videos on their coming-out stories, past relationships and, perhaps most crucially, HIV (both Mick and Robert have spoken openly about their respective diagnoses) elevated their cheeky group name.
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The foursome then slowly evolved into curators of generational knowledge on a massive scale - what once was shared anecdotally among friends now reached millions of strangers. The Old Gays began online as long-form YouTube videos (hosted on Grindr’s channel) of Mick, 66, Robert, 78, Bill, 78, and Jessay, 68, sharing their experiences in candid and hilarious would such a beautiful talented woman of be watching us?” #rihanna #queen #sisterlove #woman #entertainment #old #gay #lgbtq #fypシ ♬ original sound - The Old Gays Then Ryan James Yezak, the group’s social media manager (whose now-husband, John Bates, once rented a room from Robert) helped transform the nickname into a full-blown phenomenon. The Old Gays started out as a term of endearment and an inside joke. Mick and Robert are roommates Jessay lives across the street. He lost his home and moved into senior housing a few blocks from Robert’s house. “I thought I was living such a fast life I was worried it was going to catch up with me real quick.” It didn’t what did hit him hard was the 2008 financial crisis. And I didn’t die.”īill faced a similar situation: “I didn’t think I’d live till 40,” he recalls. The desert kind of reinvigorated me and I just started doing my art.
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But when I came here, there’s something about the desert that brings life to you. “Because in San Francisco I learned I was HIV-positive. “I moved to the desert thinking I was gonna be dead in a couple of years,” Robert tells me once we leave Lizzo behind and sit down while they all catch their breath. Whether they’re re-creating an iconic Christmas “Mean Girls” dance, regaling viewers with tales from their past, pushing back against rigid gender norms or, yes, dancing along to Lizzo’s latest bop, the Old Gays are showing their fans what it means to age gracefully in their own way.Įven before these four became unlikely social media superstars, they were leading lives they once couldn’t fathom. The self-proclaimed Old Gays have evolved into a vision of pride that’s seldom front and center on youth-focused floats or parades.
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To read the comments on their posts is to encounter a throng of fans who find joy in watching Michael “Mick” Peterson, Robert Reeves, Bill Lyons and Jessay Martin let loose. The foursome have built a 7-million-strong fandom on TikTok, collaborating on videos with the likes of Paula Abdul and counting celebrities such as Rihanna among their followers. Until they nail it, oozing charm as only these four old gays can. Swirly above-the-head hand gestures keep tripping up some of the guys, while a transition from two middle fingers in the air to a less confrontational move demands they take it from the top. As “About Damn Time” at half-speed echoes through the poolside courtyard, it becomes clear that learning these dance moves may take longer than anticipated. Over the years, the pair studied the images, attempting to decode the signs of “one hundred years of social history”, and found some recurring symbols.įor example, they suggest that posing together under an umbrella, between the 1880s and 1920s, probably signified a romantic relationship that wedding rings, bracelets and other tokens became increasingly common and reached a peak during WWII, when they were donned mainly by sailors and soldiers and that photo booths (which appeared in the USA from 1924) were significant because, as they didn’t require a photographer or a developer, they allowed a couple to take a portrait without the fear of being “caught”.On a dry, sunny day in Cathedral City, Calif., four men in their 60s and 70s practice choreography to Lizzo’s new song.
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The story of the collection is told by Hugh and Neal in the essay “An accidental collection”, included in their book, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s, published by 5 Continents Editions. Thanks to the pair’s formidable research and passion, today their collection amounts to over 2,800 vintage photographs spanning from roughly 1850 to 1951, shot in Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, the UK and the USA.