01-25-2012, 03:22 PM
I *was* in the same boat as you.
My recommendation is the internet (registering here at GaySpeak is a good first step, you're totally anonymous but you can still receive a lot of different ideas).
I'd also suggest a dating website. Just start with a basic profile. No pix or specific info. Just something that gets you a membership so you can browse the other ads and see who's out there and what they are looking for. A lot of those sites offer chat rooms, as does this one.
Over time, you might become more comfortable posting more info about yourself, maybe a pic or two. Eventually, when you can't stand it any longer you'll make your choice and either reach out to connect with someone OR you'll let yourself be contacted by someone who's interested in you (if you provide enough honest info).
I think this is the most conservative and "low impact" method.
When I was in your shoes, I cruised Craigslist for a FULL YEAR, just looking at the ads. And get this! When I finally built the courage to respond to an ad, I received NO RESPONSE BACK!
Can you imagine how that felt? Over a year of anticipation and anxiety and then NOTHING! What's more, I think I responded to two or three other ads before one guy (my first) actually wrote me back.
We hooked up, it was pretty awful, kinda risky, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but you know what? I had to do it that way. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would probably do what I suggested to you in the first part of this post.
Good luck and keep us updated.
My recommendation is the internet (registering here at GaySpeak is a good first step, you're totally anonymous but you can still receive a lot of different ideas).
I'd also suggest a dating website. Just start with a basic profile. No pix or specific info. Just something that gets you a membership so you can browse the other ads and see who's out there and what they are looking for. A lot of those sites offer chat rooms, as does this one.
Over time, you might become more comfortable posting more info about yourself, maybe a pic or two. Eventually, when you can't stand it any longer you'll make your choice and either reach out to connect with someone OR you'll let yourself be contacted by someone who's interested in you (if you provide enough honest info).
I think this is the most conservative and "low impact" method.
When I was in your shoes, I cruised Craigslist for a FULL YEAR, just looking at the ads. And get this! When I finally built the courage to respond to an ad, I received NO RESPONSE BACK!
Can you imagine how that felt? Over a year of anticipation and anxiety and then NOTHING! What's more, I think I responded to two or three other ads before one guy (my first) actually wrote me back.
We hooked up, it was pretty awful, kinda risky, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but you know what? I had to do it that way. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would probably do what I suggested to you in the first part of this post.
Good luck and keep us updated.
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