Intergenerational couples tend to embrace their differences from the get go, which is a key ingredient to relationship longevity.” “Some similarly aged couples enter relationships thinking they are exactly alike, or perfect for each other, and that can lead to major problems when they inevitably encounter their first differences. “In my experience, intergenerational relationships are some of the most functional relationships because they usually have a very honest perspective on what a relationship is,” said Nick Fager, a mental health counselor who runs the LGBTQ division of KIP Therapy in New York. If you’ve been in one of these relationships, you know that’s rarely the case. Some look at them and see an old man with a thick wallet and a young twink with daddy issues. The intergenerational romance is nothing new for gay men. Little did I know, I’d become part of a very popular relationship trend in the gay community and was only perpetuating its stigma. He would be taller with dark hair and masculine features, but no more than five years my senior. I had a preconceived notion of who my first love was supposed to be.
When I was a recent high school graduate and fell into the throes of young love with a man twice my age, all I could think about was the taboo of our relationship, which was unconventional in more ways than one. Ultimately it wasn’t meant to be, but not for the reasons I thought at the time. Photo of Adam Russo & Joe Carrier by Bridget Marie Collective