“Against Ageism” with Simon(e) van Saarloos

Have you ever thought about your age as being assigned at birth? In this episode, Simon(e) van Saarloos and I explore how queer thought might allow us to move beyond preconceptions of age, but also about the manifold and intersectional consequences of ageism. Simon(e) reflects on how trans narratives might work without reliance on linearity and why age is such a powerful category when it comes to agency.

CW: Around minutes 11 to 13, there is a nongraphic mention of sexual violence.  

References:
Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Against Ageism: A Queer Manifesto (2023)
Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Playing Monogamy (2019)
Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Take ‘Em Down: Scattered Monuments and Queer Forgetting (2021)
Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Give Piss A Chance: A Willing Suspension of Consequences
Trans Despair (2027)
Samantha Nye
MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven
Mona Eltahawy
Ira Kip
KIP Republic
Denise Ferreira Da Silva
Roe vs Wade
Crip time
Mel Y. Chen
Chrononormativity (Elizabeth Freeman)
Alison Kafer
JJJJJerome Ellis
Fred Moten
Fumi Okiji
@svansaarloos
Jordy Rosenberg’s Night Night Fawn
Saketopoulou, A. (2026). Exigent Sadism. Social Text, 44(1), 25–51. https://doi.org/10.1215/01642472-12195785  

Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:

1.      What does Simon(e) mean by ‘change-phobic’?
2.      I really love when Simon(e) explains that “linear time is mapped onto the body and we call that age.” – How could we understand age in other ways? What might a queer approach to age be?
3.      Simon(e) mentions age-segregated institutions. What are examples of these and how does age shape institutions?
4.      How do race and colonialism play into age?
5.      How often do you think about age? Do you perceive age differently in and outside of queer and trans community?