actı e age
TM
the VOL.36 • NO. 6
www.theactiveage.com
• May 2015
Enriching Lives in South Central Kansas since 1979
50s: the new ‘middle age’ (Editor’s Note: The active age recently convened focus groups with those in their 50s, 60s and 70s. What we learned from them will be shared with our readers in our May, June and July issues. This month we offer a snapshot on those in their 50s and how they feel about various subjects at this moment in their lives.)
ACTIVE AGING PUBLISHING, INC 125 S West St., Suite 105 Wichita, Ks 67213
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Wichita, KS 67276 Permit 1711
By Elvira Crocker They’re called the Sandwich Generation – those middle-aged Baby Boomers who still have kids who need parenting and parents who now require more attention, whether it’s helping them make health decisions, taking them to the doctor or replacing a light bulb they can’t reach. They’re also called the Taffy Gen-
Who We Are eration because they are being pulled in several different directions by members of their families at different speeds. According to the U.S. Census, there were 2.9 million Kansans in 2012. Of those 32 percent, or 910,000 of them, were 50 to 59. Being in this age range is no time to wimp out. As Parade Magazine puts it: “You turn 50, and suddenly you’re pegged as ‘middle-aged.’ But what if it really was the middle age and you could expect to live to 100 or even 120? Don’t laugh. There are 53,364 cen-
Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.
The food court provides Riverfest goers with a variety of options. Read more about the festival, May 29-June 6, on page 23.
See 50s, page 6
Becoming Grayson: A trip with no map By Grayson Barnes My body feels like I am driving a rental car. You know, the one where you reach up to hit the turn signals and the wipers come on? It’s disconcerting. Surprise follows disorientation, then you correct. Or worse, overcorrect, and hope to heaven you don’t crash. This is often what the aging process feels like; I’m 55 years old. It is also what it feels like to be transgendered. I have to deal with the awkwardness of both. I am an aging, transgendered person.
Questions about services?
While many of us know what aging is like, being transgendered is when someone is born with genitals that designate them as “male” or “female,” but the person’s head says they are a gender different from their biological sex. Transgender is independent of sexual orientation. Transgender people, just like the rest of the population, may be heterosexual, homosexual, Grayson Barnes
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging or call your county Department on Aging. 1-855-200-2372
bisexual, etc. The psychological term for this is gender dysphoria (or gender “discontent”). I am biologically “female,” but my head registers “male.” I see myself as man. I want others to see me that way too. This last part is the most difficult. When I was younger, I could get away with playing the “androgyny” card a bit easier. Even though I was female, I could adopt male characteristics in fashion and behavior. This enabled me to exist in a gray area that was a bit more comfortable for me to negotiate.
See Grayson, page 12
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800- 279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655