When West arrived to Prague and we went for a walk, not having seen each other for a long time I wanted to hold his hand, have some contact - even if on public, on the street. Though... We've met two or three groups of people, youg guys who should be more liberal, tolerant, IDK what I was thinking... well all we heard was snickering and maybe they made some comments... IDK, I didn't care. Though, it stings. Another occasion - we can go for a dinner to any restaurant here and waiters don't bat an eye. But once some guests noticed and started snickering, having fun talking about us. At the same time the two of them were sitting at a similar table, having an evening out - how more gay can you be?

What I meant to say - even if our societies are far more liberal than many places on the Earth, we still need to be careful because people who have the feeling they belong to some majority, they feel the power and don't hesitate to strike.

do what feels comfortable at the time. Yes, you have to be aware of safety but at the end of the day your heart is more important. If you feel uncofortable with PDA's then don't do it; if you don't then do.

While you should definitely be 'careful' and not put yourself in a situation where you might be in physical harm, it feels 'good' and liberating to just be yourself and not worry about what anyone else thinks.

I think for many of us, we should push our boundaries and comfort levels a bit for the greater good.

I think the younger generation will benefit from your being more open in public. Think of the young gays or questioning out there. The more instances they see, the chances are they'll feel more comfortable in their own skins. As well, the more the young straights see of gay people in general, the more 'normal' it will be for them.

I have many friends who are much more comfortable in their gay skins out in public, and they never seem to have an y bad issues. Sure, they may get snickered at or other tables in restaurants may be talking about them. But they don't concern themselves with what 'strangers' think about them. I really admire that about them.

As for the new guy your dating, do try to get out of your comfort zone a little. You can draw strength from his confidence as you hopefully build up yours.

I have been reading GA stories or replying to a thread while at college. Yes, I do try to keep the GA heading scrolled up. I know it won't stop people from seeing the GA heading from time to time when I surf on our website. So far I haven't seen anyone curious about what I've been reading or posting. There are times I won't be on GA depending on the kind of crowd with me. Like if their members of the basket ball team for example or people of a high risk for trouble category.

Wow ... I never would believe there be a curious crowd of 20something. I see in your description that none of them were a danger to your safety. But you seem to be a novelty to them. Kind of like wow ... there's a unicorn here ... maybe one of them is gay ... and curious to know how to live openly like you seem to be to them. Makes me wonder how much talk you created in their world. Food for thought for them. Who knows if they will discover your blog entry ... if they're ever so curious surf GA and read our interesting stories.

Nice you have a longer term BF. My question: isn't an openly gay man discrete in a place that isn't gay friendly. I'm some what sure your BF is wise to the situation at hand. Be observant of how he acts in places that is questionable gay-friendly.

Perhaps the root of your stressing out is that out side is assume to be not gay friendly. You should generally know if the area is gay-friendly or not and be able to gauge if people care or not. Sure maybe your BF is taking risks at times. Testing the waters or already know if its safe or being unwise. I say it seems you need to know your bf more deeply.

I agree with NaperVic ... you need to build up your experience with the outside world ... knowing where you can be freely be yourself and not stress out being in the pressure cooker of being closeted when the environment isn't gay friendly.

@Paya: yes, young people should be more liberal and tolerant... but they are most likely to be in groups where they're supposed to conform. Mocking someone outside the group helps bolster cohesion.

@Nephy: I was actually fine doing it. It unsettled me a little because it was a first, but I will open my laptop and surf freely again.

@Vic: I completely agree with you about the "greater good" and providing a model for younger gays. In a way, it was of more consequence to surf freely on GA inside that "normal" coffee-shop than it would be to parade for hours at the Gay Pride.

@HH5: you know, I wondered about the same thing. Some of them were clearly having fun at my expense (but I didn't much care), but others had more inquisitive looks. If I did create some talk among them and helped at least one of them being more confident, then I'll be very happy.