June 14, 2021
Watch: The Old Gays Are Here... Queer... And Promoting Milk Shakes
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
"Four older gay men being introduced to things they may not otherwise know about. Bill, Jessay, Robert and Mick" is the way The Old Gays have been described in their section on Grindr's YouTube channel. In the 20+ videos they share their new experiences, from getting sex tips from a doctor; dressing in drag; smoking pot; meeting Gus Kenworthy; and even using Grindr.
They also have a lively TikTok account on which they post their videos to their 1.2 million followers.
@oldgays Free, proud & gay as can be�??????????�@shakeshack ##oldgays ##shakeshack ##shakeshackpartner ##ad ##out ##free ##proud ##gay ##pride2021?????????? ##lgbtq ##fyp? ? original sound - The Old Gays
In their latest, the four men show pics of their younger selves with an anecdote, before cutting to each expressing their pride and, as one put it, "still chugging along."
The uplifting feeling the video brings, though, is mitigated when it becomes a Pride promotion for the restaurant chain Shake Shack.
"The Old Gays are unshakeable!" they say in unison as they are seen holding the chain's latest menu addition: the Pride Shake, which they say, is available at all retail locations and a portion of sales are to be donated to the Trevor Project.
On Twitter, many pointed out that despite being well-meaning, the video is another instance of corporate mining of Pride for public relations. While others were just happy to see it.
This story is part of our special report: "Pride 2021". Want to read more? Here's the full list.
