I’ve been exchanging e-mails with a guy that I recently met after viewing his racy pix on Bear-licious. It turns out that he’s from Gadsden, Alabama, the town that knew me when. My family moved from Gadsden to Birmingham when I was in 7th grade, so luckily I was spared the trauma of coming out there, or what I thought would have been a traumatic coming out. Coming out in Birmingham wasn’t a very big deal–everyone in my high school was gay, even the principal. I was very curious about Mr. Bear-Licious’ experience growing up gay in Gadsden, and it turns out that it wasn’t a big deal either–he had a great childhood with lots of support in his family (his brother and uncles were gay, too), and two gay bars in downtown Gadsden.
I’ve developed a real fondness for him, perhaps because he represents an alternate version of my own life, or because I’ve been exposed to his intimate thoughts and special places. The internet is amazing. He’s just a few words and pictures on my laptop, yet he occupies some place in my psychic life already. Safe intimacy?