|
Maybe you could try hanging out at some places where a face-to-face or just casual encounter doesn't have the emotional charge of being "a date". Some of my lesbian friends go to a little restaurant downtown for breakfast every Saturday. It's owned by a lesbian couple, and has lots of family types there in the morning. People around here are proud of calling this "The Redneck Riviera," and I'm here to tell you it's an accurate term! So there are not many openly friendly places around. Even so, I know some who attend PFLAG meetings and meet other gays and lesbians there. You might also try attending a local gay and lesbian church. Do a search for MCC (Metropolitan Community Church) churches.
A friend asked me recently if I would go to the local gay bar, and I agreed to go with her. I hadn't visited there but once many years ago, and it hadn't changed a bit. I didn't much care for the experience. All the smoke made me sick, the guy doing a striptease on the bar didn't interest me, and I had seen enough of the floor show after 20 min. I don't think my friend had ever been there before, so we left after a little while. I think it satisfied her curiosity. Whew. It was not a healthy place for me.
I'm feeling very comfortable meeting and conversing with other family types, and I think it helps that I'm still hurting and recovering from a traumatic breakup and betrayal with my ex. I am so not ready for another relationship -- maybe ever -- that just having a conversation is easy. You might try visiting somewhere out of town. It might help to have the thought that "Oh well, I'll never see that person again anyway."
__________________
Karen |