Moving....the next change

It’s not a secret anymore since I have mentioned it in some prior posts, but my next significant change is that I will be moving. (or at least spending a significant amount of time outside of Phoenix) I have a lot of history here in the Phoenix area since I have lived here for so long. My history in this city and my own mental hang-ups are the things that have stifled my ability to move forward here with the sexual side of who I am. And it is that sexual part of my life that has stifled my happiness, and my ability to focus on the other great things that I would like to do while I have the chance. I know the Phoenix area has a decent size gay population, but my outward view looking in believes it is decentralized. Because of my perceived decentralization of the community, I never felt comfortable in taking that risk to explore who I was. (that statement is not to blame Phoenix just how I view the situation, I am to blame) So that’s where I am today. Wanting to finally explore who I am, along with wanting to gain the confidence, pride, and unashamed strength that I am who I am and it’s OK & ALRIGHT!

So I always knew that when I was ready to move forward I would be moving to a city with, as my friend likes to call it, a gay colony. I’ve had the opportunity to look into Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., San Francisco, West Hollywood, and San Diego. For a variety of factors, mainly the weather as I’ve become spoiled to the sun here in Phoenix, I narrowed down my top two to San Diego (Hillcrest) and West Hollywood. After visiting both cities, along with doing a bunch of online research, I decided that West Hollywood would be the place. That’s not a knock on San Diego, because I love it, but I just have this sense about West Hollywood. I’ve read and heard a number of both positive and negative stories about West Hollywood and I think that variety piques my curiosity. That and I am game for the challenge. The challenge to be thrust into a setting which is completely foreign to me and not very comfortable, the challenge to the stereotype of a sexually rich yet relationship poor dating culture, the challenge of growing my internal personal acceptance of who I am along with the acceptance of the diversity of the greater gay community, and the challenge of finding out how I can begin to give back to a community who has fought so hard for so long yet has allowed me the time to find my way on my own terms.

I’m looking forward to this next change in my life and the opportunities that it will provide. I’m a firm believer that success comes in part from being in the right place at the right time. And for me now, that place in this time is WEHO! (well to be fair, not exactly now, but soon)