I was asked about my age on an employment application recently. I was told it was for Diversity and Inclusion reasons. Good intention but it made me feel as if I was being "excluded" especially when I got turned down for not being a good "fit".

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

At every step of the process, making sure you’re focusing on the skills and qualifications required for the role will help prevent ageism or discrimination as a whole (even if you didn’t realize it was there). 

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects certain applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.

https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination/agedisc#:~:text=The%20Age%20Discrimination%20in%20Employment,conditions%20or%20privileges%20of%20employment.