Hi friends! I've been hanging out on EC for a while, but hadn't made an account until now. EC has helped me so much on my journey to discover and accept my sexuality, so I figured it was time. Thank you all so much! You're wonderful (*hug*) Some things about me: I'm a 22 year old male, and until approximately late March/early April, I had repressed my sexuality pretty completely. I guess I always felt different from the other guys because I wasn't attracted to women, so I dealt with that by locking away any thoughts and feelings about attraction/sex/love/relationships/etc. and never letting myself think about the topic. I had so completely repressed it that I had a full-fledged crush on a guy and didn't put two and two together... But one day in late March/early April, it hit me in a single instant, and I thought, "Wow, I'm gay." I shouldn't have been surprised, but it felt like I had literally been hit by a load of bricks. From the start it felt right, but that didn't prevent the following two months or so from being an absolutely insane roller coaster of emotion. Turns out renegotiating one's identity is hard! However, I am feeling better now, I'm starting to settle into my identity, and it feels great. I suppose I'll post in the Sexual and Romantic Orientation forum about some issues I'm still having, so I'll leave it at that for now. Oh, and I like to climb, hike, and cycle
Hiya and a big official welcome to you! i totally get you, Its weird how we can suddenly realise we are gay, i knew i was but i didnt think about it either, and then i started saying it in my head like you, "im actually gay?" and the first few times of saying it to myself i proper freaked out.
Hey dude! I love to hike too! Can't say much about cycling and climbing, though, since my bike is probably spider-ridden in a dusty corner or something and I'm such a coward when it comes to heights. Like Emily, I'm pretty familiar with the "wait, I'm [blank]?" feeling, except it's with my gender identity. I'm not really sure how I felt. I suppose I was just in a state of shock. We all live in a world where a lot of people assume you're straight and cis, after all, so I'm sure we've all heard the "when are you going to get a gf/bf?" and the "you're such an attractive girl/boy!" before. To find out we weren't is a pretty big surprise, and although some take it better than others, I hope they all feel comfortable and settled someday. And, since I'm a newb too, I'm not quite sure if I should say this, but whatever: Welcome to the forums! I just joined a day ago, and I already feel secure in this community. It's a large community, yes, but it's very safe and everyone is willing to help. You don't get ignored, and someone's always there for you if you want them to be. Best of luck to you!
Thanks for the warm welcome, Emily, Nychthemeron, and RainbowLioness! Cool to hear that others have had a similar "aha!" moment! Yeah, even before I acknowledged to myself that I'm gay it was super annoying when I would come back home from school and people would ask, "So, how are the ladies?" or "Have a girlfriend?" It made me feel really uncomfortable and now I know at least in large part why that is
Hey, welcome to EC. Its a good place to chat. I'm trying to get back into cycling as my friends do it. I love a good hike too.
Hello and welcome! It's good to see you coming to terms with your sexually like this : ) And it's nice to know EC has helped you a lot already! The people here are so nice.
