I promise this will be my last gripe about 2007. After this, I will move on. I promise.

I want to address an issue that has been really really REALLY bugging me. I sincerely hope that I’m not the only person that feels this way, but here goes:

HEY SEATTLE GUYS: DROP THE FRACKING ATTITUDE.

I’d like to think that I am a kind and caring individual in most circumstances. I don’t believe that I’m any more or less attractive than other gay men in this city. At least, that’s what I’d like to think. I don’t have a muscular or an athletic build, but I also don’t believe myself to be the ugliest frog in the pond either. I don’t have 6-pack abs and a 32 inch waist size, but I am also a human being with many desires and passions just like everyone else. I am a good person, a caring and compassionate friend to the people that know me best. If other people got a chance to know me, they’d believe this to be true.

With that being said, I don’t understand why gay men in Seattle have been extremely unapproachable and unfriendly. If I see a cute guy walking down the streets in Capitol Hill, I would definitely like to try and nod or smile in passing, or at the very least, say hello. But everytime I attempt this, the other guy’s eyes immediately dart above their heads with their noses firmly pointing skyward. WTF is that all about? Is it the worst damn thing in the world to acknowledge another human being’s presence? Are you going to melt like the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz if our gazes met each other? I don’t think so. Just because I want to say hi to you doesn’t automatically mean that I want to sleep with you. It doesn’t mean that I’m trolling around to get laid either. I’m not looking to stalk you. It doesn’t mean that I’m trying to steal you away from your boyfriend or trying to ask to join into a threesome. That’s not my intention.

One of the biggest improvements I want to make for myself in the new year is to try and be more outgoing and working harder to meet new people. I’m just looking for kindred spirits with similar interests and passions that are looking for new people to hang out with. I’ve been finding this really difficult to do here for some reason. I’m not quite sure why. Granted, sometimes I have a tendency to appear cold and/or standoffish myself. That is because I am a human being with faults and foibles just like everyone else. I don’t make the most money in the world and can’t afford $200 pairs of Diesel jeans or $300 Juicy Couture bomber jackets. But at the same time, I don’t think that I’m a smarmy or homely person in appearance either. Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t have big muscles or 6-pack abs, but I’m not ugly either. I don’t have snakes on my head like Medusa. So, what’s the deal?

Maybe I shouldn’t isolate this to the Seattle GLBT community. I’m sure that this happens all the time to lots of different people all over the world. However, when I first moved out here to Seattle in1997, I found the guys in the community to be a lot friendly than they seem to be now. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe I have gotten uglier as I’ve gotten older. Maybe I am delusional in thinking I’m not the ugliest person in the city. Who knows? In the end, who cares?

We as a community are already isolated from the rest of the world on a daily basis as it is. It really bothers me and is hurtful to see that we have become so divided and complacent with each other WITHIN our community. It’s very sad. I’ve never really felt like I fit in to the grand scheme of the GLBT community. Even when I do find a small group of people that share similar interests, I still feel like I don’t belong. I’ve felt isolated as a result of the insecurity. But, at the same time, I do believe in the power of community and companionship. Maybe this is a naive way of thinking, but if anything, I try really hard to remain optimistic about the future.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to unite and be respectful of each others’ differences and our common bonds. I just wish that guys in this city would take the sticks out of their asses and be a little bit friendlier. What’s the worst thing that could happen - you could gain an amazing new friend and compassionate human being. In my opinion, that’s a beautiful thing. Guys, DROP the attitude, please???

I just want to get along, that’s all. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask of people.

Now, onto 2008!!!