Well I added my crazy to your survey

http://www.pokerstars.tv/poker-video-5156-eptlive.html

Selbst 1/5 in the pca 25k high roller, 1.4m ftw! Watch live with hole cards here ^^^^^

great win vanessa

Mbn, pretty cool to live on the sun

Congrats! Sick PCA for you!

Nice score Vanessa. Good way to start the year.

Congrats Vanessa! Wanna spread the wealth...?

So as a follow up to this part of my coming out story, I asked 'female friend 2' via text what was up with her asking that. I'm not sure I fully like her answer, but here it is:

"I totally wasn't serious, I just kind of blurted it out of nowhere and when you said it's boys I was stunned and then I thought maybe you were joking for a second because I asked the question so outrageously."

blah blah blah, then "I would have done it privately if I thought two seconds about what I was asking."

How did you feel saying you were looking for a guy?


Judging from her text, I'd say she probably felt like an ass. Surely she felt worse than you did.

Terrified. I wasn't planning on doing so that night, and I didn't really have practice at that point.

I imagine a part of her at least was thinking in the back of her head that since she wouldn't mind whatever your answer was, that you wouldn't mind disclosing. Which is obviously an error in logic.

I wish I could offer you some advice on this, but all I can say is it gets easier.

Well how do you feel now that it's over and done with gman?

Maybe in the way back of her head, but I got the impression that she never expected the answer she got and was just joking with the question.

Mostly good as no one seemed to care and I can stop playing these word games to stay hidden without anyone noticing I'm hiding. Still a little uncomfortable at times, in part because it's only half over and done with. I think about half of my friends/co-workers know, and we seem to be having more open discussions about this, so I get torn between openness and the aforementioned word games.

Even when having conversations only with those who know I'm gay, I feel torn between feeling positive that it can be openly discussed and feeling uncomfortable maybe because it's not something I'm used to doing or maybe I'm not fully accepting of this yet, I don't know.

Well, I am really glad this space exists on this forum that you are able to talk about these things with. I came out in the very early days of the Internet, and while there were definitely gay spaces online, it was nowhere like it is today. Obviously, the Internet can't exactly replicate accepting RL relationships, but knowing there are people out there who have been through the same thing and made it through, and have your back if you need it, definitely make things easier.

gansta, those pics were ridiculously hot.

Also I just want to thank all of you for the survey support, I have close to 300 full responses now with, by the looks of it, over 100 LGB respondents.

And my official recruitment method hasn't even kicked in yet.

I am super thrilled right now.

Glad you're getting good responses RJ. Probably been mentioned earlier in thread, what are you studying?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

I'm finishing up my Ph.D. in Counseling.

Did it. This forum is going to give you some data analysis hell.

LOL.

I was going to get that anyway.

And interesting responses are waaaaaaaaaay better than no responses.

No ****? Wow that's awesome.

I know, right? I thought maybe I'd get like 50 from some 2p2ers.

Like I said me mentioning it on here isn't my "official" recruitment method. So, um.....shhhhhhhhh.

Yeah, it's nice just to be able to get this out there, and that there are people that I can trust listening makes it that much better.

Glad someone appreciated them.

I did not take the survey 150 times.

finished the survey

what conclusions are you going to draw from the data gathered by the responses to 'Y/N does your mother/father know of your sexual orientation?' ?

That particular question is mostly just allow people to skip a section they don't need to answer. Otherwise, the only thing I'll "learn" from that particular question would be descriptive - like say, what percentage answered yes or no, differences within age ranges, that sort of thing.

Oh, and Dan Savage tweeted my survey Thursday and is going to mention it in his weekly column next week.

I am golden for responses, I think. Now I actually have to do some work.