Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Editor’s note: This series focuses on aging and ageism, tapping both national research and local stories. Commissioned by the Area 1 Agency on Aging, it seeks unapologetically to present the upside of aging and combat ageism and stereotypes. Author Ashton Applewhite wrote that, “It’s not loving a man that makes life harder for gay guys, it’s homophobia. It’s not the color of their skin that makes life harder for people of color, it’s racism.