Monday, November 12, 2012

Reader question: Is Ann Arbor a good place for middle-aged gay men?

Good morning gentle readers. Over the weekend I noticed a spike in traffic going to the an article that G$ wrote in March of 2011: Is Ann Arbor a Bore? On that article I found an anonymous reader had posted a question back in August that was left unanswered. The question essentially asks if there is a good community of middle aged gay men in Ann Arbor. I want to say "yes" or at least "I think so" but I really don't have a ton of experience to base that on. So, I'm going to post that comment in it's entirety and maybe some of you can post your thoughts in the comments section of this article.
Hey all,

Thanks for this blog and comments. I need your help/advice. I am a 54 yo white gay man who is widowed now for seven years. I too have lived in many locations: originally from the Chicago burbs, then NYC, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Oberlin, Cleveland. Now I am looking for a long-term/retirement destination. I love cold weather and I have visited AA once and did like it. I have heard mostly good things about it and feel it could be a good place for me. I do not want a LARGE city anymore but definitely want an open/liberal environment with a reasonable amount of culture and entertainment.

Your thoughts?

PS In Oberlin (pop. 8,000) I was one of a handful of middle-aged gay men. It was dreadful. Could not make a friend to save my life! And I do mean just platonic friendship. Everyone was paired off (Noah's Ark?)and not even wanting any new friends. I know this can be the case as people get older but in a small town it is particularly painful.

1 comment:

  1. It's not as bad as Oberlin, but it's still pretty small. If he likes cold weather, I'd think the Twin Cities or Boston would be ideal, but I guess it would depend on what he defines as "LARGE." In my experience, the bigger the city, the more choices you have about your scene and the more opportunities there are to meet guys with interests similar to yours. As a 28-year-old, I find Ann Arbor too small.

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