Ageing Gay Men: Lessons from the Sociology of Embodiment

One of the aims of this article is to look at the contribution that has been made by the sociology of embodiment to the study of older people. Researchers within this field have pointed to the ways in which negative perceptions of ageing bodies reflect attitudes toward older people and are factors leading to their marginalization within many contemporary Western societies. We hope to develop this idea further by investigating attitudes of gay men toward ageing bodies and, from this, to suggest reasons why older gay men appear to be marginal to gay culture. In so doing, we shall be drawing comparisons between older women and older gay men with particular reference to the work of Tseelon.