Country guy meets partyboy

Gion, tonight's Youth Group guest, grew up in the country side. Coming out was no easy matter for Gion. There were no gay youth groups in the small country town he called home. He had heard about a place in the area where gay men congregated for sex, but he never went there for fear he would run into someone who knew him. The next day everyone in the town would have known he was gay. That was too dangerous. So Gion bought some gay magazines at the kiosk near the railway station. Though he found the addresses of gay youth groups in town, to go there by public transportation was impossibly slow, and by the time he would arrive, he would have to turn back.

When Gion turned 18 and had a driver's license, he drove to town to visit a gay group for the first time. Not knowing what to expect, he was fairly overcome by his experience. He enjoyed himself and met many new people. He also got acquainted with some boys who lived in his own small town. They exchanged telephone numbers so they could meet together and give each other support. After a while, they had the initiative to establish their own gay youth group in the country where rural gay boys could meet and make friends. Spared now from the long trip to town, they could now totally concentrate on their coming out.

Being gay in the country or in the city has both advantages and disadvantages. Making contact with like-minded people is important in both situations. You need to make such opportunities happen. Often the Internet is a means of establishing contact with someone in your neighborhood. See our webpages with links to find gay resources on the net!

You can seldom choose your domicile when you live with your parents and are economically dependent on them. So you have to make the best of where you are. Gay men and women have always lived quiet and contented lives in rural areas and have been accepted along with everyone else. Yes, the city certainly has a more organized and open gay community that offers many possibilities for socializing. But the country, having less distractions, may be a better place for building a long and stable relationship with someone. And cities are never really that far away. You can drive in or take a train and spend the weekend with friends or relatives.