The gay scene in Toronto, Canada is probably like many other big cities in that it suffers from ageism. Seems to be the place for youth with little room for men 40, 50 and over. The problem is that there seems to be a large contingent of men in that age group. There also seems to be fewer and fewer ways to connect with other gay men of the same age.
There are fewer bars and dance clubs for the gay man in general, and even fewer for the older gay man. But many gay men don’t want to go to a bar anyway. So where and how do they connect?
For the sports-oriented person, at least in Toronto, there are gay leagues and teams for almost any sport, from tennis to bowling. These are great, unless you’re not a sports fan.
Tech-savvy men have the use of dating websites and smartphone sex apps. These websites and apps usually give you the opportunity to create a profile and include photos of yourself in various states of undress. Some even indicate how close your potential match is to you. Be careful how much information you provide and make sure you don’t get scammed out of money.
But websites and phone apps also seem to be a market for younger men. Those in their 40s and 50s didn’t grow up with smartphones or the Internet, so this is all new to them.
New to them or not, the Internet offers a plethora of ways to meet up with other gay men. There are a plethora of meetup groups to suit just about any interest a person might have. Search engines can help even the least internet-savvy gay man find people who share his interests. He’ll just type in what he’s interested in and add “gay” and he’ll probably find there’s a group for that.
Another way to meet others is to volunteer. Volunteering provides altruistic value while opening the door to meeting other like-minded people. Find a cause you can support, not just any old organization. It has to be something that you can stick with for a period of time. Most organizations want some type of time commitment.
There are ways to meet like-minded people, you just have to know where to look. The old methods don’t work like before, so you may need to do it another way. The internet can be useful, so if you don’t know how to use it, maybe it’s worth learning.
