More To Gay Life Than Sex

Are all gay men just superficial disco bunnies with only one thing on their minds? The mass media would certainly have you believe that is so, and with figure heads such as Boy George and Julian Clary, who can blame the public for going along with this idea. Of course, straight acting gay men are just harder to detect. So homophobes continue with their prejudices and the 21st century, thinking gay man gets very lonely wondering where all the men like him are! How, then, do intelligent professional gay men meet each other? There are thousands of clubs and pubs, dating agencies and personal ads for cruising purposes, but it can be extremely difficult to meet professional gay friends for purely social purposes, where a deeper relationship may develop. This is where the gay dining club comes to the rescue. I recently tried Out & Out, London's longest established dining club for professional gay men and was amazed at how civilized an evening with 40 gay men could be.

Out & Out was started by the disarmingly charming and truly scrumptious Julia Melinek. Eleven years ago, opera singer Julia (she's sung Madam Butterfly for English National Opera) and fellow warbler, Mark Glanville (more recently the author of best ? selling book The Goldberg Variations) realised that they were so good at organising dinner parties for gay colleagues that they might as well do it professionally. As Out & Out, they booked a stand at a Gay lifestyle exhibition at Earl's Court and pretty much became an instant success. Today they're the biggest dining club for professional gay men in the UK, with a membership that sometimes hits a thousand. They are not just another gay dating service in London. Through the gay dining club format, members can meet new friends, network professionally and chat without any of the posing and cruising obligations of the scene.

How did they do it? Professional fag hag (it's her description) Julia reckons that, as far as social skills are concerned, "you're born that way." But she likens her table ? hopping duties at Out & Out functions to those of the circus plate spinner, forever dashing to give the plate at the end another twirl. Having seen her in action, I can confirm that, like the guy with the plates, she performs apparently effortlessly. But what is it with Julia and gay men? "There's a special relationship between straight women and gay men," she explains. "It's like the girlie friendship, opposite sexes getting on with each other without the sexual tension." The personal touch extends to communications with the Out & Out office. There are no mail-shots. Julia and Mark can spend eight hours a day on the phone, telling members about upcoming lunches and dinners, plus other events including theatre visits, foreign trips and boat cruises. Clearly the label ?Gay Dining Club' only reveals part of the picture as members use the club for professional networking purposes, expanding their social horizons, debates, message posting and of course, inevitably, for gay dating.

But, ultimately, is it all about sex? Surprisingly, no. "It's far less a sexual thing than the scene," says Julia. I accepted an invitation to the gallery bar of the Cross Keys, a beautiful old pub in Chelsea, where Out & Out celebrated Valentine's Day. The mix of men was much as Julia had described, all ages, classes and races, but "the common denominator is intelligence, those who enjoy a dinner party atmosphere as opposed to posing and cruising."

After a 17 year relationship broke up, lawyer David T found it very difficult to "let loose" again. "In the bars I was very conscious of being older," he told me, "but here, as you can see, the age range is very wide." At Out & Out he has made a lot of gay friends, some men he now sees independently. What about romance? None as yet. David feels that Out & Out is primarily a social group. But then I met David L and William R who have been together for three years after meeting at an Out & Out function. "Jules is very good at judging," said David. "She sits people next to each other if she thinks they're going to get on. With us, she got it right." "I didn't want a gay dating agency when I joined Out and Out," said William "I was far more interested in networking with professional gay men and meeting new friends....but then I met David, and the rest is history!"

Now David is trying to get William to County Hall! "We'll invite Mark and Jules," David promised.

Gay Paris

The area's largest city is Nice, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not a sickly 'nice', but a little bit naughty with a pervading tolerant spirit and string of gay hangouts between your Nice holiday apartment and favourite beach.

La Plage de Coco beach is Nice's gay beach. I say beach, but I mean rocky platform. A second private beach - Plage Castel - is more popular and categorised as gay-friendly, as is its neighbouring public beach. There are at least two further gay beaches just outside Nice including La Plage d'Eze - or simply 'Eze'.

Eze is a busy, gay, mainly nudist hangout, but you'll need wheels to get in on the action. If you don't have a car, or a friend with a car who'll wait outside your Nice apartment while you check you've got your sunglasses, spare sunglasses, lotion, lip balm, drinks, snacks and dips (there's nothing for miles, or at least a mile), take the bus (the no.100 leaving from outside the main bus station).

You'll need to go down some steps, take a right across a first beach (not gay), and cross the rocks before you arrive in this tranquil haven of bare beauty - a good ten-minute trot across the pebbles.

Oh, and if you don't like pebbles, don't book a holiday apartment in Nice. Or, take a trip to La Plage de La Batterie for some sandy moments. In high summer you'll be sharing the sand with young families, meaning a lot of children. Ange and Brad have recently been clogging up Nice beach space with their growing clan.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were among those attending the nearby 61st Cannes Film Festival, running May 14 - 25. While this is a strictly invite only affair, Nice has an open door policy on all its festivals - being a popular vacation resort there are quite a few - as well its annual winter-month festival, Nice Carnival, held in February.

Since the arrival of the railway to the French Riviera, hordes of British leisure travellers have spent their summers in Nice accommodation off the Promenade des Anglais. With the advent of budget airlines, Nice became ever more accessible. In recent years the French Riviera including Nice has received increased recognition as a gay destination too.

Nice is the fifth largest city in France, so the scene is smaller compared to the scene in larger European cities. But there are ample gay hotspots both in and around Nice, from beaches to bars and clubs, and there's plenty of accommodation in Nice aimed solely or principally at the gay community visiting the area. Most if not all of these hotels, B&Bs and Nice apartment rentals have good standards of service, and some are very well situated - close to the beach and main attractions.

For many Nice's appeal is its vibrancy and energy which is at once relaxing and energising. Founded by the Greeks, who first named it after a shoe ('Nike' the Greek goddess of victory), Nice first became a busy trading port, and then later a major tourist centre and backyard for the moneyed folk including Elton John, who splits his time across his Nice villa and other residences. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with and buy an apartment in Nice too.

Authentizit�t und die Identit�t Homosexuell

How To Pick Up A Gay Guy?

Sitting at the corner of a party, feeling lonely and looking around, you must have guessed 'is the flamboyantly dressed guy with twinkle toes gay?'

Contemplating to pick up a gay guy of your type and already feeling butterflies in the stomach? But, the process of picking up is not that difficult and nerve-wracking one, as it has been perceived to be. You may not be a natural seducer like some other gay men, but that must not prevent you from trying your hands at picking up men. If you follow our guidelines minutely, you will be game for it!

Come let's share the tricks.

Suppose, you get besotted with the charming guy whom you have just come across in the bar or club. Your heart has already started beating for him!!! What are you going to do now? Here are some valuable tips?

First of all, making eye contact is really important. If, in any case, he doesn't notice you, do something (possibly, dancing, singing or cracking a joke) that will catch his attention instantaneously. But, beware, don't create a scene or make a fool out of yourself. That may lead to negative consequences.

Giving him a fleeting look over and again is welcome, but ogling at him at a stretch can be irritating. An interested person will surely return your glances and that makes your job half done.

A slight shy smile of yours can follow his fleeting glimpses. All these make the process of picking up more exciting.

Once you become sure that the person is interested, you can go straight to him and talk. If the guy is partying with his friends, please don't forget to utter 'Excuse me' to him and his friends before talking. You are advised to just pass by him, in case, you are feeling too shy to talk to him in front of others. While going by, give him such signals that the chap gets lured to talk to you at a corner place of the room.

Once he comes closer to you, your duty is to introduce yourself. You may ask him his name, where he lives, his occupation and other necessary details. Just kick-start a proper conversation.

Next, you can invite him to the dance floor or offer him a drink along with pizza. Never get panicky and talk and behave as naturally as possible. Going over the top and showing artificial emotions unnecessarily can be a major put off. Don't get disheartened if he is not willing to dance with you, maybe he is as nervous as you are.

Say that you had a great time talking to him. Exchanging mobile numbers and e-mail IDs will be great. Once he gives you a call (maybe the same night, the next day or few days later), you can be sure that you are succeeded in picking up the gay guy of your dreams. Now it's your turn to congratulate yourself, because you have made it!!!

Some other essential tips

The aspect of physical charisma can never be ignored. You may not be an Adonis, but dressing up in neat and clean clothes and putting on some make-up can sometimes create sheer magic.

Besides working on your appearance, you have to enhance your social skills as well. How you walk and how you talk surely does matter. Otherwise, the chance of succeeding in picking up your man becomes less.

The more you approach and meet different types of guys, the more you become adept in the game. You are required to come out of your shell. Being shy and introvert can't give you much in this field. Brush up your conversational proficiency.

The terms hesitation and nervousness should not be there in your dictionary. These traits cannot take you anywhere. For coming up with flying colors in the game of seduction, you have to put all your inhibitions behind bar.

Try to start up conversations in a decent note. Keep yourself away from cheesy and horny pick-up lines. These things can easily turn one off.

Say something that can keep him engrossed. You can express your preferences with essential inputs like 'That guy was a real hunk' etc. These references are vital in keeping your discussion going.

Give him time to develop attraction for you. You should neither force yourself on him nor make gratuitous sexual overtones.

Give him compliments, but don't get overboard with them. You should never sound like a fake.

All your gestures and postures are supposed to be in a measured way. Make the values within you evident. Keep away from meaningless talking. Try to show him your sense of humor. Narrate the joyous moments you have spent with your ex-boyfriends. By any means, you have to bring forward all your good qualities.

Fleeting touches often create wonders. But, crossing the limit of decency can mar your whole process of picking up.

If your guy turns out to be straight and has made his preferences clear to you, there's no need to stretch your conversation anymore. Nothing is worse than creating pressure on a straight guy for getting into a relationship.

Hope, now you have understood the ways of picking up your man? So, why are you wasting anymore time? Let's embark on the exhilarating adventure and have fun!

Gay Singles Seek Love At Online Dating Sites

Gay singles seek love and romance at free gay online dating sites is common, easily, and conveniently. There are many gay dating services out there to help gay singles to find their online dates, which have created thousands of gay relationships and even marriages. Selecting the best free gay singles site is not hard on this electronic world. Some gay dating sites offer free registration then charge members a fee when contacting other members. There are free gay personal sites which offer 100% free two-way gay matches. It means that you can have a free registration as well as free interaction with other gay online singles. In other words, you do not pay any fee when joining and contacting other gay personal ads online. Free gay dating services offer members with no credit card needed. You can find your gay dates at the comfort of your computer, in the living room, or in the bedroom.

We have seen many gay relationships and gay marriages in America. There are gay couples walking hands in hands on street, at market, and other places at this beautiful country. Gay men do not need to go to the bars to seek their gay dates and they do not go the nightclubs to find their soul mates. Seeking gay dates is right there in front of your computer. You need to turn it on, join gay dating sites, and start dating. Is it simple? Yes. There are other cool functions such as chats, instant messages, and others from free gay single dating sites. Joining gay dating website is the start for gay singles who seek for love and romance online. It is simple to register a personal ad and you can even add your photos. After you have already created a personal ad, then you can starting contacting other online gay singles. Search for gay matches on these sites, then send messages to any gay single member you like most.

Selecting the best free gay online dating sites is up to you. You need to find a gay date site which has local singles so you do not have to travel a long distance to meet your dates. Popular free gay date sites have thousands of local singles for you to seek a date. Seeking free gay dates is easy and simple these days. Many gay singles find their future dates online, so do you. For starters, joining free gay personal sites is recommended. After you have some experience about online gay dating services, then you can join a paid single dating site. Free gay online dating sites have more serious singles and can help gay singles to find long lasting relationships.

There are many gay singles online waiting to meet you. Can you imagine somewhere around you, there is another single gay man, who is thinking of you. So, are you ready to meet that special gay men? Do not wait. Take action now. Join these free gay personals sites to find your other half of your dream.

Gay singles online are waiting to meet you at these free gay personal sites.