The Male Homosexual: Age-Related Variations in Social and Psychological Characteristics

The folk view of age and the male homosexual is that the older the homosexual the less his sociosexual contact with other homosexuals due to a premium on youth in the homosexual world; and that the “old” homosexual is lower in psychological well being as a result of this sociosexual situation. The data reported in this paper support the social, but not the psychological, folk description. An explanation for this discrepancy between the folk view and the research data is given with regard to the perspective of the persons who provide the folk view and to the adjustments which seem to be associated with the aging process in general. The social and psychological situation of the “young” homosexual is also given special attention.