How to Cope When You're Gay and Lonely | GQ

Contents:

• HOW TO COPE WHEN YOU'RE GAY AND LONELY
• 17 SIGNS YOU'RE ACTUALLY GAY (AND JT DON'T KNOW IT)
• HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM GAY? SIGNS YOU ARE GAY
• HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
• WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
• AS A GAY MAN, I’LL NEVER BE NORMAL
• THERE IS NO ‘GAY GENE.’ THERE IS NO ‘STRAIGHT GENE.’ SEXUALY IS JT PLEX, STUDY NFIRMS

HOW TO COPE WHEN YOU'RE GAY AND LONELY

It’s not pletely known why someone might be lbian, gay, straight, or bisexual. You also n’t “turn” a person gay.

17 SIGNS YOU'RE ACTUALLY GAY (AND JT DON'T KNOW IT)

For example, exposg a boy to toys tradnally ma for girls, such as dolls, won’t e him to be gay. Many people say that they knew they were lbian, gay, or bisexual even before puberty. ” Many people, cludg sex rearchers and scientists, believe that sexual orientatn is like a sle wh entirely gay on one end and entirely straight on the other.

LGBTQ stands for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer/Qutng.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM GAY? SIGNS YOU ARE GAY

Sexual inty is how you label yourself (for example, g labels such as queer, gay, lbian, straight, or bisexual).

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY

Some people may engage same genr sexual behavr but not intify themselv as bisexual, lbian, or gay.

5% intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual. Part of realizg you're gay, or bi, or trans, or non-bary, or anythg other than cisgenr and heterosexual is acceptg you’re different—and somewhat separated—om the majory.

Here he shar his journey to overe the sense of isolatn he felt growg up gay a small U. At the time, there were no real gay role mols except for Graham Norton and Jack om Dawson's Creek—and I certaly didn't intify wh him bee I wasn't a football player.

WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?

I felt like I was pletely on my rried on until I was 16, when I started gog out to gay bars my hometown.

I ma one gay iend, who I'm actually close to now. For the first time I've been able to form a good group of gay iends and create my own support work.

AS A GAY MAN, I’LL NEVER BE NORMAL

I'd go on gay chatrooms but that was jt a facels nversatn wh someone who uld have been anyone.

I thk if I'd had iends who were gay when I was growg up, my life would have been so different. I now know there were other kids at my school who were gay, but they didn't e out till much later.

THERE IS NO ‘GAY GENE.’ THERE IS NO ‘STRAIGHT GENE.’ SEXUALY IS JT PLEX, STUDY NFIRMS

Self-Regnn as Gay First Step Comg Out. Tellg Others You Are Gay.

While g out and talkg about beg gay to others is a slow procs, generally starts wh a close iend or fay member. Rejectn by this person may e a backlash to the self-regnn stage of g out (the g out stage where you regnize you are gay); however, acceptance by this person generally leads to an crease self-teem and nfince.

As this stage of g out ntu, the dividual gas a general sense of what means to be gay and choos to eher accept or reject different stereotyp and perceptns regardg gays. Socializatn wh Other Gays.