The oldest Gen Xers are turning 60 in 2025 — hard to believe if you happen to be one. In My So-Called Midlife, KJZZ takes a closer look at this generation and what they’re up to — or, rather, up against.
Coming out isn’t always easy — even today. And it certainly wasn’t 30 years ago when many Gen Xers were teens, including the one in this next story.
Like a lot of kids who come out, George Johnson was scared. It was the mid-'90s and while not as taboo as in decades prior, it could mean losing family and friends. When he told me and another friend he was gay, I didn’t realize then just how hard it was.
"I had to do it for myself. And, and I have to be truthful, because also what kind of friends do you really have if you can't be truthful with them?"
"These freedoms that you have came from all the fighting people have done before you, and they are not promised."George Johnson
Johnson has since gone on to win competitions like Mr. Gay America and Mr. Phoenix Pride. And he worries about the next generation.
"You know, it's really scary when you see the politics that are happening right now because the kids see it and the kids are very open minded. They're accepting, they're loving, they're caring. We don't want to go back to a time where we're teaching them to be scared, to be afraid."
For Johnson, the lesson is to keep fighting.
"These freedoms that you have came from all the fighting people have done before you, and they are not promised. They can be taken away in an instant."
