I am a gay man who grew up in the eighties and struggled with my sexual identity. At age 13, I got involved with a peadophile and pretty much ’stayed’ with him for the rest of my teens. It is easy to assume that he influenced my sexual preference, but I knew before I met him that my love for my male friends was different.
Because of that experience, I went through many years avoiding my sexuality. I married and have two beautiful teenage daughters. After twelve years, we seperated and divorced finally two years after that. My ex-wife is in a closet relationship with another woman – something I realize now was happening before we seperated.
I consider myself to be foremost a well balanced, loving and loved father. I value family above all else. I believe very strongly in Karma, and the word ‘hate’ is something I loathe to use as an adjective to anything.
I love life mostly, and project this love to all around me. Not without flaws, I can be moody; sometimes a little lazy; I procrastinate and tend to avoid conflict at all cost.
When I am working, I work really hard, but take a lot of time off to make up for it. A typical night out for me is with a few close friends, chatting and enjoying a few drinks. Occasionally I am dragged to the odd club.
All of my friends are younger by ten years or so, and I am often mistaken to be the same age. I love it when it happens.
I like being single. It’s taken me a long time to figure that out though. Occasionally, I do like to wake with someone next to me, but more often than not, it is an inconvenience if it is more than a few days in a row.
I have had both hetero and same sex relationships during my life, but I cannot see myself being with another woman again – expecially in a relationship. We simply don’t speak the same language anymore.
I seem to have a deep need to support young people through tough times, perhaps because of my own experiences as a teenager and young man. I know that even when it feels like life is too much to cope with, we are in the end, a very resilient species. We are survivors.
