You may be a guy or a woman who has been single far too long, you have heard a lot of compliments about your good looking face and a well built body, and you take great care to yourself. Yet, you are still finding it hard to find your ideal gay partner. There may be few reasons contributing to the above, such as, the part of the world you live, is not very progressive, or you are still new in a particular country hence still coming to terms with that particular place orientation or maybe you have never tried it before.
From experience, I have learned that if you are a gay man and you are trying to find someone who you can get into serious relationship with, is an uphill task to climb. This is because, as I stated earlier there are a thousand of hurdles to overcome that sometimes make it feel like the deck is actually stacked against us. Do not just sit there and feel sorry for yourself or lose hope. This guide will reveal to you several places where you can find your next boyfriend or girlfriend who may be willing to settle in a serious relationship. Here are some tips to meet people in the LGBT community:
- Visit places with safe place signs: Lesbian, gay, bi, transgender and intersex safe places are popping up all over Sydney. Over 80 businesses around Sydney will be displaying a totally new sticker on their shop fronts and windows to show that they’re welcoming, supportive and actively engaged with LGBT communities. Park Street Adult Books and the Gay Exchange located at 44 Park Street, Sydney will proudly be a part of the 80 businesses involved in this initiative. Businesses that display this sticker are showing that they welcome and publicly support the gay and lesbian community. Another added benefit of displaying these stickers is if someone feels that they are the victim of street based homophobic violence than if they see a business with this sticker they know they can enter and feel safe from any threats, abuse or any other acts from homophobic people. It also shows that businesses with this sticker are actively doing the following:
- Caring about each other
- Celebrating diversity
- Opposing discrimination
- Making sure you feel accepted and safe
- Encouraging progressive social change
- Speaking up about prejudice
- Equality and freedom
- Trying to be the best they can be
- Joining local gay activity groups: You can go to specific gay sites, and search on their websites for other guys members who would love to go out and do fun and
platonic activities in your area. This will put you in touch with a number of guy guys who have similar interests, which in most times, it is a very good foundation for a relationship. Moreover, when people go out in groups, it takes the pressure off hence giving you more time to get know of the guy you are interested with better, before you even start dating. - Visit The Gay Exchange: The Gay Exchange is an iconic gay landmark in Sydney Australia. It was the first all gay store to open in Sydney, now trading for over 20 years. The staff are trained in all things gay and are active in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Community. Key Staff are Ricky Martin, Yoshi, Marcos and Goki and they are a perfect example of why gay men should work there showing trust, honesty, commitment and friendship. Other regular staff there are always happy to help in the store and there is nothing they will not do to assist and always with happy faces and caring and understanding attitudes. The staff there are fantastic having worked there for more many years and is now recognized by ACON and their innovative Anti-Violence Project as a safe place. PJ and the Gay exchange proudly support the LGTB community and felt it imperative to register as a safe place. The Gay Exchange complies with the safe place charter and is open from 8am to 12 midnight daily situated at level 1 and 2 at 44 Park Street, Sydney. If anyone feels threatened by discrimination or violence you will be welcomed into our premises and we will assist you whether it be calling the relevant authorities or just to wait till trouble goes away. The caring and understanding staff will ensure you will be looked after and that we help build our communities health and well being . The Gay Exchange has everything and I mean everything. Over 10,000 dvds in stock (never knew there were that many), boys toys, poppers and everything in-between. Lubes, aromas to enhance mood and experience and they must have the largest surgical steel display in Sydney if not Australia. Prices are good too and there are no pirated DVDs that you find in many other stores. The store and staffs reputation is well known within the Gay Community and most of the customers will travel as they know they will get what they want from the store and if it is not there they will get it in for you. Come Mardis Gras time the shop is super busy as its rep has traveled to many places like Santa Monica in LA and many places in Europe. Reviews by the Spartacus Guide are always 5 stars.
- Use Facebook: I know enough have been said about Facebook, that it’s boring, I know some guys are even turning their nose up at the mention of it, yes! But if you come to think about it, a lot of people connect on Facebook. In fact, half of the universe population are Facebook users which means, lots of LGBT persons spends a couple of hours there and the number of LGBT pages is growing each dawn.
- Visit rock-climbing centers: This activity has really blown up recently, with about 6.8 million of American scaling the walls back in year 2005. According to the
outdoor Industry Foundation, which keeps records for recreational sports trends, almost 2/3 of the wall climbers have always being males. Again, it is also very easy for someone to meet people since the atmosphere is super social and charged with lots of excitement. - Go to local gay venues: Do a serious online search for gay and include the name of your town to help you find a city guide that will list all the venues in the
town. Depending on where you live, this may include clubs, bars, bath houses, cafes and sex on premises venues. - Go to local community classes: This can be a real goldmine for meeting your ideal gay partner. Do you like cooking? What about photography, painting, biking, fitness
and so on. One of the greatest advantages about meeting people, who are in the same class that you are in, is the built in advantage of a shared interest. So if you have a special gift or skill, this might be the ideal place for you to offer to share your gifting. I have a lot of buddies doing this and it has been a great way to meet others in the LGBT group. - Go to a local gay friendly church or spiritual center: There are over 7,000 entries of worldwide churches that are gay welcoming along with a number of other spiritually focused resources and links. There are so many out there, in fact all over the place but you have to get out of the house. Yes, I have heard of so many gays who have reported to have got their partners at their local gay friendly church or spiritual centre.
- Become a member of gay exchange programs: Some gay exchange programs are not so fair-minded and during vacations they don’t care where people sleep. Some programs agree that members can swap homes thus you can take in advantage of couple’s home and they temporarily take up yours. This way, you can experience a new country and a new environment that you don’t have to pay a penny during your vacation. The main purpose of most exchange programs and gay sex programs is to enable gays to make new friends and advance their networks from all over the world. Now you can have a good juncture with your friends, that you manage to meet and interact. In fact, it is much easier to find deals during such parties over a glass of wine. Motivate your friends or yourself and make new connections. You may meet someone you can trust, since you have so many things in common, you can chat and tattle thanks to hours on issues of common interest. Some people have been trying find partners without success but through these parties, you can easily find someone who trusts you and set an outer goal on long lasting moments full of fun and pleasure. You can find out from your city if is anything going down and okay to go to. Note that you should understand any laws and regulations about gay people in the cities you go so that you won’t end up on the wrong side of the law. Also, take time to understand the people you visit well. Remember that being gay is something normal and it is a choice. Now there is a way you can meet your alter ego.
PJ Weir was employed at the Gay Exchange for over a decade and was a regular contributor to the blog. He is a gay activist and an advocate for same sex marriage. PJ is proud of his aboriginal descent and has remained in a long term relationship with his partner Darren.
PJ left work in late 2014 as his mother fell ill. He has moved to Queensland where he has become her full time carer.
Unfortunately the iconic Gay Exchange, Sydney’s first all gay adult store closed down in June of 2017 as the building was taken over by the State Transit Authority to build the new rail.
It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commentators here!