Hi, my name is Andrei! That is Andrew, in English. I live in Romania, I am 28 years old, and I am not here to tell you how I have discovered what true love means. You see, the problem is that in my country traditionalism still plays a major role in people’s lives, which makes it difficult for someone different than the rest to blend in. Here, gays are still considered either lunatics or sick people. You can see why there are not as many homosexuals here, like there are in other countries or, at least, they are not as open about their identity. You can also understand why I have been so reluctant, and still am, about acknowledging my sexual identity. This is my confession and I am glad that I can finally speak freely about who I truly am; no lies, just the pure truth.

I always knew there was something different about me, but I was not quite sure what it was. As I grew, I realize that what made me different was something that the others could not accept and I understood really fast that it was better if I kept my card close to the chest. And so I did. For several years I tried to avoid discussions approaching the sex topic and, if asked directly, I lied. But, as you can imagine, I was far from being happy. Not only that I could not admit who I was, but I was also unable to get involved in any relationship without raising suspicions. I was alone for a long time and it was probably the saddest period of my life. I was craving for those juicy love affairs that I heard my friends talking about and I gradually became more and more depressed, as I realized that I will never experience such a beautiful thing.

My best friend’s name was also Andrei and he was the only one that I enjoyed talking to. He was more open to the concept of new than the others and we used to spend hours talking about various subjects, especially about computer games, since we were both passionate about this subject. However, I have never told him about my sexual preferences and I am sure he didn’t suspected anything. I had no idea how he would react if he were to find out, which is why I preferred keeping it to myself. But this one night came and everything about my world radically changed.

Did you like the first part of this story? Then don’t miss the second part of Society dislikes me, but I have found happiness.

To be continued…