Gay Couples | THE MODERN GAY GUIDE TO LIFE

Sep 12 2014

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE FOR ONLINE DATING

gay online dating advice gay blog

This article was originally written by The Modern Gay for Match.com

I have been using the internet to communicate with other gay guys my age since I was fourteen-years-old. What started as a means to explore my curiosities in the privacy of my bedroom has matured into a means by which I have met romantic partners. In the early days of internet dating you were warned not to share too much detail about your life for fear of being taken advantage of but as we have become more comfortable with this digital medium we are more open to sharing our phone numbers, private pictures, personal stories and even our home addresses.

When I was eighteen I signed up for one of the few gay dating sites that existed at the time. The internet was the only access I had to the big gay world but because I was still in the closet I was reluctant to use a real profile picture for fear of being outed. Like many other questioning, young gay guys, I established a false profile, using an image that I found online. I created an alluring persona of the ideal “straight-acting”, high school jock and used this disguise to communicate with other guys. Luckily though, I quickly realized the pointlessness in pretending to be someone you are not, both digitally and in real life. Although my fake profile allowed me to comfortably chat to other gay guys (something I could not do while I was still in school) I knew that these relationships would never eventuate into anything more than an internet fling. I deleted my accounts and stopped using the internet for chatting until I was comfortable enough to establish a profile that reflected the real me, with genuine pictures included.

Since then I have met some great guys through dating websites and apps. Along the way I have also learnt some valuable lessons about online dating, the most important of which is honesty. Pretending to be someone that you are not is pointless in the long run. Sure it may allow you to escape the reality of your life in the moment but ultimately it’s a dead end and people inevitably are hurt. I also strongly believe that we should only be in relationships with people who love us for who we are and not for who we think they want us to be. The best way to attract these people into your life is to be honest from day one, and this means being honest in your online profile too. Exaggerating your height, body type or income may increase the views on your profile but what happens when you meet your love interest in person and he realizes that you are not a six-foot-two footballer with a six-figure salary? Such superficial things as body type and salary should not even matter in a loving relationship but they will become an issue if you have lied about them from the start.

While honesty is certainly the most important rule in online dating, here is a list of 7 practical ways to improve your online profile that will hopefully lead to happily ever after.

Image by Steven Kohlstock

Tagged dating, DATING ADVICE, gay advice, gay apps, Gay Blog, gay blogger, gay boy, gay boy blog, Gay Couples, gay dating, gay life, gay lifestyle, gay love, gay matchmaker, Gay Men, Gay Pride, Gay style, homosexuality, love, online dating, online love, PRIDE, Style

Jun 19 2013

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RULES

RULE NO.16: YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A REFLECTION OF YOURSELF

Is who you date a reflection of who you are?

A friend of mine once admitted that he was sexually aroused by the sight of himself naked in the mirror. Instead of other forms of visual stimulation, he openly admitted that when it came to special “alone” time, his own reflection was enough to do the job. There are two things you need to know about this friend: 1. he’s extremely handsome by most people’s standards and 2. he makes Narcissus look like Mother Theresa. I’ve watched the string of boyfriends that have come and gone through his life and although they’ve been of different ages and nationalities, they’ve all had one thing in common – they look identical to him. This made me think about boyfriends and whether or not one’s boyfriend is a reflection of one’s self.

Have you noticed those cute gay couples who look like they could be brothers or father and son for the matter? Sure, some may argue that couples begin to look and act similar over time, much like dogs and their owners but I would suggest that who you choose to date is in fact a reflection of yourself. The short-buff-gym-dude dates other short-buff-gym-dudes much like the narcissistic model dates other narcissistic models or the blondes date blondes etc. So then what does it mean if you’re like me and you date people who are polar opposites? Is this the reflection of subconscious self-love issues? Maybe. But I would choose to think that it is because you are attracted to people who have qualities that complement your own (whether physical or not).

I’m not assuming that everyone who is attracted to someone of a similar aesthetic or nature is narcissistic, I’m simply discussing extreme examples of the phenomena and trying to draw conclusions. From a more positive perspective, dating someone who looks like you may be a sign that you are comfortable with your inner self. A few years ago I broke up with a boyfriend because he liked things about me that I hated about myself so clearly there was something wrong with him. Now I realise that you can’t truly be open to love if you haven’t accepted yourself, although this realisation hasn’t changed the types of men I date.

There are obviously other factors involved in the subconscious attraction process (like LOA – Read Here) but it’s much easier to look at the superficial reasons so I would love to hear your feedback on the observation that who you date is indeed a reflection of yourself.

Photo Credit: Patriota Twins by Rick Day for FantasticMag

Tagged boyfriend, gay, Gay Couples, gay dating, gay life, gay lifestyle, gay models, gay relationships, relationships, romance, Self Love, twins

May 30 2013

MEN OF DISTINCTION: NATE BERKUS & JEREMIAH BRENT

Recently engaged interior designer couple, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are in my opinion the world’s most stylish gay couple. The announcement of their engagement in April 2013 caused universal disappointment amongst single gay men throughout the world who were hoping to snatch one of the two for themselves (myself included).

It truly is wonderful to see two talented men who are in the public eye, openly displaying their love and affection for each other (pictures in the gallery below). Although these pictures show a very happy couple, Nate has experienced devastating loss in the past. In 2004 Nate’s partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea was killed in the Boxing Day Tsunami while the two were holidaying together in Sri Lanka. Nate has publicly spoken about the intense sorrow that he endured for months after his partner’s death.

Outwardly I wish the couple all the best and thank them for their demonstration of what gay, successful, famous, “out” couples can look like. Inwardly, I wish they would break-up and that Jeremiah would come over to my place so we could “redecorate”….