The Importance Of Belonging

I have just spent 2 weeks traveling on 2 all-gay cruises – that is, with the exception of the crew, everyone on board was gay.  The first, a river cruise on the Danube had 140 gay men as the passengers, the second approximately 2000 gay men on a cruise of the Baltic. In both instances this meant that being gay was the norm. We were the majority. My vacation was shared with like-minded men who enjoyed the company of other men of all ages. Being in the majority for once in your life is very empowering. If you are holding hands or giving another man a ‘hello’ kiss you don’t have to look over your shoulder to see who is watching. You can be your real self. It’s very liberating. Sitting at dinner or sharing a drink beside the pool with new friends, you exchange life-style stories, and you start to understand the enormous variety of backgrounds gay men have. We are all different, yet we can communicate easily because of our respect for the masculinity the other brings to the table. There is a consciousness, an empathy that allows for such an easy flow.  It’s rarely sexual - rather it’s more about belonging, being respected as a fellow man. It’s about acceptance of who we are.

Perhaps when you are looking into the sexual world of the gay man on the Internet, it might be wise to pause for a moment and reflect – “Am I seeking masculine friendship or do I just want sex?” 

For gay cruising see:

http://atlantisevents.com/                http://www.rsvpvacations.com/