Spain-woman sentenced to 6 months in prison after making 'transphobic' remarks towards male ex prostitute

Your generation gave us raves and I thank you for it.

Perhaps there's a confidence that comes from not feeling I have to compensate, but I'm 40s & I describe myself as middle aged sometimes for a laugh and sometimes with utmost seriousness because my lovely mum died at much less than twice my age.

But I bet people who are into stereotypes, like a PP, couldn't guess much about my actual personality and life from that.

Reality has been contested since the dawn of time, and will be as long as there are still two sentient beings on this earth.

It's not "all just a state of mind" though, is it? There are real and practical considerations connected with age. Like fertility. As you are well aware. And there is nothing wrong with being aware of that and realistic about that.

Edited to say: real and practical considerations particularly for women.

Placing value judgements isn't literal thinking. It's more usually the opposite.

Whereas I believe in reality and not gender or age denial.

Live your life how you choose but reality is fact

To me, like gender, it's all just a state of mind.

I think middle age looks great, and in 20 years, when I'm ready for it, I'm sure I'll enjoy it immensely.

What's the point of being alive if we can't be who we want, where we want, when we want?

Yet you choose to identify as such, and I respect that, because respecting how people choose to identify is the decent thing to do. And so easy too!

It's easy in this case. Not so much when it affects other people's rights too. I don't mind whether or not you respect that I'm realistic about my age. I do mind that the push for "trans rights" favours the affectations and whims of a group of mostly entitled middle class men over more vulnerable women and children.

You clearly do though. You have prejudices around it.

Middle aged means nothing more than being a certain age. You seem to be placing a lot of value judgements on a certain age. Very literal thinking.

Well I’m in my 50’s and still go to raves and house music festivals regularly - doesn’t stop me being middle aged though. How I choose to live my life doesn’t change the reality of my age

Yes, so you don't really fulfil the commonly understood definition of middle aged either. Yet you choose to identify as such, and I respect that, because respecting how people choose to identify is the decent thing to do. And so easy too!

Until not that long ago I was travelling round the world, single and partying. I only relatively recently settled down, with a husband who is a good few years younger, and am just trying to start my family now.

Yes, I did all that too. I only got together with my partner five years ago. He's also younger than me.

Some people on these boards strike me as the type that were middle aged at 20.

Of course. I don't give a shit about age. The poster who originally brought up the term middle aged did it to put me in my place, and I resisted.

Oh I don't know. I was just being flippant.

Until not that long ago I was travelling round the world, single and partying. I only relatively recently settled down, with a husband who is a good few years younger, and am just trying to start my family now. I'm at a stage of life people are more commonly at in their 30s.

Most of my friends were at this stage in their 30s, except for the friends I made in 'expat' communities, who like me are settling down later. However I doubt my friends who have a more conventional timeline would consider themselves middle aged either.

You do realise that the rest of us didn’t suddenly change the minute we hit 45?

@PP82

What's the difference between how you live and how you think other middle aged people live? I'm genuinely curious.

And when you are 45 you will be middle aged. You can’t identify out of that

Or will we end up with 25 year olds declaring they are teenagers or 10 year olds who believe they are adults.

Flamingo I think that ‘or’ hypothesis has already happened to some degree!

I don't care. I've always lived exactly how I wanted regardless of labels. I'll continue to, and will continue to help others in their endeavours to do so.

I'm quite sure this poster does think she can identify out of middle age altogether, just by not "labelling" herself. She's a fan of this kind of magical thinking.

And when you are 45 you will be middle aged. You can’t identify out of that

Or will we end up with 25 year olds declaring they are teenagers or 10 year olds who believe they are adults.

I'm not 45 yet.

Language is dynamic and the meaning of words changes over time.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines middle aged as between 45 and 60.
They also define woman as adult female human.

Anyone who is in their 40s and still anxious to be seen as "young" needs to grow up, quite frankly.