Age Pride: Ageism and the Queer Experience

How do age activism and queer activism intersect? That's the question that activist Ryan Backer speaks to in this video presentation for the Knowledgeable Aging Speaker Series.

Ageism, like other -isms, contributes to bias, stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination. It can help us understand other -isms, such as racism and heterosexism. However, ageism is unique in that it potentially affects everyone.

Just as pride is a positive response to the prejudices and discrimination that LGBTQ2SIA+ face, age pride can aid us in overcoming ageism.

One way that Backer challenges ageism is by telling people the year they were born rather than their age. It is easier to remember a year. It also reveals more about us.

We can also address ageism through intergenerational engagement. Studies highlight that LGBTQ2SIA+ people do this well. As such, we can look to them as an example.

Backer concludes with a discussion of ways we can respond to microaggressions around age.

Age pride can actually overcome ageism. So, oftentimes when people ask us how old we are, we respond with our age at that given moment. This can actually be problematic because we live in an ageist society that has a lot of ideas around what different ages mean. So, when we hear someone’s age, we equally stereotype them based on it. It’s also problematic because every year, our age changes.

SOURCE: Knowledgable Aging • AUTHOR: Ryan Backer • LAST UPDATED: July 1, 2021