Blog Posts by Author

Margaret Cruikshank is a women’s studies pioneer and one of the first scholars to teach courses on gay/lesbian studies. Her publications often fuse her passions for feminism, gay rights and age studies. Her classic Learning to be Old (2013) is now in its third edition. With gerontologist Sharon Raphael, she edited a special "Old Lesbians" issue of the Journal of Lesbian Studies (2015). She lives in a small fishing village in Maine and is a faculty associate of the University of Maine’s Center on Aging.

An Older Lesbian Considers the Anti-Gay Houston Vote

December 04, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
I was saddened and infuriated to read that Houston voters this month (November 2015) repealed a gay rights ordinance when the opposition made bathrooms the issue. They claimed that no one would be safe in restrooms if the ordinance protected transgendered people, whom they targeted, claiming they were potential molesters. Read more...

An Old Lesbian Reacts to the Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage

July 11, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
Like others my age, I never expected my country to end my second-class-citizen status. The swiftness of the movement from gay rights legislation to same-sex marriage in some states to the June 26, 2015, ruling for marriage in all states takes my breath away. Yes, the Supremes were expected to rule as they did. And the vile comments by Justice Antonin Scalia remind everyone that bigotry has not been vanquished. But what a time of celebration for people who, when I was young, were judged sick or sinful or both, and in my middle age were struggling against long odds for basic civil rights. Read more...

The Nitty-Gritty of Aging

May 17, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
Late adulthood for many is the best time of life, marked by emotional growth, new pleasures and greater insight into past experiences. Read more...

The ‘Young Lady’ Dance

April 01, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
The first time I was addressed as “young lady,” I was too surprised to say anything. The doctor was evidently trying to be jocular. He was patronizing, I later realized, and wondered how other women visibly over 60 respond to this misguided attempt to be funny. Read more...

He Thinks 75 Is Old?

February 27, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
Ezekiel J. Emanuel caused quite a stir with his October 2014 Atlantic article saying that he did not want to live past 75. Emanuel is a noted bioethicist and a doctor who consulted on the Affordable Care Act. He does not believe in suicide or legalized euthanasia; he would simply decline medical care. What a limited imagination this doctor has, that he cannot visualize himself vital, engaged and enjoying life at 75. How sad that he has little or no contact with vigorous, healthy people in their 80s or 90s. They are everywhere; he need only look around. Read more...

‘Successful’ Aging?

January 14, 2015 By Margaret Cruikshank
In the 1991 book Successful Aging, by John W. Rowe, MD, and Robert L. Kahn, PhD, “successful” seems to mean healthy aging. The authors have three criteria: 1) freedom from disease and disability; 2) a high level of cognitive and physical functioning; and 3) social engagement. Perhaps “healthy aging” sounded too bland for the title of a book on aging. It would have been more accurate, though. Read more...

Blogs by Author

Alix Kates Shulman

Ashton Applewhite

Bob Bostock

Flora Davis

Liz Seegert

Maggie Sullivan

Margaret Cruikshank

Margaret Morganroth Gullette

Megan Kearns

Pepper Evans

Pete Croatto

Victoria Robinson

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The Silver Century Foundation promotes a positive view of aging. The Foundation challenges entrenched and harmful stereotypes, encourages dialogue between generations, advocates planning for the second half of life, and raises awareness to educate and inspire everyone to live long, healthy, empowered lives.

"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not poorer, but is even richer."

Cicero (106-43 BC)

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