Moving Beyond Online Chatting

So you’ve more than likely been chatting it up online with a potential dating prospect that you’ve met through your personals ad and perhaps even progressed to talking a bit on the telephone. It is generally best practice to gradually move from email correspondence or online chatting to actually speaking “live” on the telephone before meeting in-person for the first time. This gets the acquaintanceship started at a reasonably good pace and allows you to learn more about each other through written and verbal words before taking the plunge to meet face-to-face, which for most people is the more vulnerable and nerve-wracking scenario. Take time to glean the information you receive about this new man through all your modes of communication you’ve had with each other before deciding whether he meets your compatibility criteria to even proceed with a physical meeting. This will help to save much time and energy in your quest for a good first date material. read more >>

Hope for a Gay Dad?

Question: I have recently joined a dating site but I’m not sure if my profile is an eye-catcher. I was married to a woman for a number of years and I have never had sex with a man. I’m now a single dad and have gone on a couple of dates but they always end the same way. They find out I have kids and they can’t seem to get away fast enough. My children are the most important thing to me and if it means being single the rest of my life, then so be it. But I can’t believe all gay guys don’t want kids. Am I doomed to singlehood? read more >>

Can Two Tops Date?

Question: I met someone recently and the attraction was immediate. He’s amazing, and we also have everything in common—we just look at each other googley-eyed all the time. We’ve messed around a few times already and it’s so passionate. But here’s the problem: we’re both tops. And I don’t mean versatile tops, I mean we’re both 100% tops-tops. We’ve talked about this, but the issue does seem to have put up some sort of barrier between us. See, for now, it’s fine and it’s not a big deal. But if this relationship actually goes somewhere, which I think it might, this could become a really big deal. Do I end this now, or do I stick with it and try to work it out. And how the heck do I work this out? read more >>

Welcome to The Dating Fitness Center! You’ve made a very wise decision by enrolling in our dating wellness club because you have now joined an exclusive membership with other relationship-minded singles. Here, you recognize that being single is an opportunity and that before you can really appreciate and thrive in a committed relationship with a life partner, you must first be solid and grounded yourself. This means that you’ve done the necessary work and are continually committed to the process of developing and actualizing yourself into your true potential. The ultimate outcome is that you lead a full life of purpose and passion and view yourself as a healthy and happy single. Through this personal growth process, you are maximizing your chances for attracting and sustaining fulfilling relationships with similar dating partners. Remember that according to “The Law of Attraction”, like attracts like. The more your life and self-esteem are in order, the greater your chances are that you will draw other dating prospects toward you that have also achieved a comparable level of well-being and “fitness.” read more >>

When you’re dating someone, it’s very important to always be on alert to determine if you and he are compatible for the potential for a long-term relationship. This screening process should be done before and throughout the pre-commitment phase of the relationship. By gauging your goodness-of-fit early on in your dating relationship, you’ll either be laying the foundation for a bond of trust and intimacy or you’ll be disengaging from further connection before becoming too emotionally invested. It’s critical to discover this information as early on in your dating as possible to avoid becoming overly-attached and developing expectations that would likely lead to disappointment and grief. read more >>

I’ve been dating this guy for about two weeks and I really like him. We haven’t had sex yet. He just told me he is HIV-positive. What should I do? read more >>

I’ve been dating a guy for a few months who I like a lot. The problem is he’s older, makes a ton more money than I do, and I can’t help but be reminded of that every time we do anything together. He wants to travel … I can’t afford to go where he wants. We go to fancy restaurants and he has to pay. How can I tell him I like him, but we need to do things more on the level of my pay grade? read more >>

Introduction

We live in a society that places high value and expectation on being in a coupled relationship and singles are often stigmatized for their single-status. Gay men, in particular, are often labeled as being unable to develop and maintain long-lasting intimate relationships, adding yet another layer to this stigma. This can lead to feelings of low self-worth and inferiority, a sense that there’s something wrong with you if you don’t have a boyfriend, an excessive focus and preoccupation with your discontent with being single, and sometimes a compulsive drive to find a relationship just to satisfy that nagging need (which can be a dangerous and sabotaging maneuver if one’s dating practices are conducted out of desperation rather than conscious intention). read more >>

Introduction

One of the developmental tasks of all adolescents is to establish productive relationships with their peer group and to understand and manage their sexuality. Dating provides fertile training ground for these teens for learning about themselves and how to establish and maintain healthy intimate relationships as they continue to mature and grow. Due to growing up in a homophobic society, most gay men as teenagers had to keep their sexualities hidden for fear of social backlash and further damage to their already shaky self-images. Some boys chose to distance themselves completely from dating, while others chose to date their female peers to more easily “fit in” and be accepted. For some, there was no other choice for them but to date girls, while for others it was an attempt to extinguish their feelings they had for males. Very few gay men had the luxury of being able to openly date other gay males as teenagers and to live authentically. read more >>

Dear Coach:

I am in a new dating relationship with someone I’m very interested in maintaining. I think he may be my “Mr. Right.” Things started out very well for us in the beginning but over the last several months things have faded. Neither one of us is “out” and I believe I’m the first guy he’s been with. How do I foster and maintain this relationship?

Holding On

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