Tampa Bay Times via Associated Press. His year-old daughter in Boston called to express concern. Even his ex-wife asked him about it. The Villages, a mammoth retirement community that was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation two years ago, is no stranger to folklore. The central Florida senior haven has fielded rumors about swingers and public sex for decades.
But perhaps no myth is more ubiquitous β or more enduring β than the idea of rampant rates of sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise nationally in the wake of the pandemic. Where did this pervasive legend start?
And will it ever go away? Residents hear the joke all too often. Some people love gossip about old people and sex. A moderator disabled comments on the post within days. It had received more than responses. Some say a disgruntled nurse hurled it as an insult. Others believe it began with a joke on a radio station. And the doctor was never named. The myth snowballed from there. Often, the stories seized on signs that The Villagers were engaging in casual sex or dating, wielding them as evidence of heavy transmission within the retirement community.
It cited two links that are no longer active, including the story. Old People. Highest rates. Residents of The Villages are, of course, sexually active, said Dr.
Marivic Villa, an internist who runs a health clinic in the retirement community. Many of her patients come seeking testosterone therapy to improve their sex lives. All of them are tested for sexually transmitted diseases. People just want to paint the picture that old people here are like young people in New Orleans. Florida tracks sexually transmitted diseases by county of residence.
