Notes from abroad / Cartas del Extrangero

One of the things that happens when I write a blog that sometimes includes Spanish postings is that Google Search brings people to it. A lot of the searches are from countries such as Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and similar to this:

gay mormon
hombre gay (gay man)
casado y gay (gay married man)

Often times I get emails from some of the men, some are LDS, returned missionaries, some never mention the church so it is impossible to know if they're LDS or not; some just thank me for the realization that they're not alone. I try to reply to the notes and send links such as that of Affirmation that has chapters in Latin America but I never if at all hear again from any of them. A note I received a week or two ago alluded to the fact that the guy said he was gay, but he worked in an important company, his girlfriend also works in the same place and their families expect them to marry soon. He said something that struck a nerve:

 "In spite of  it all, I will never tell the truth and will marry"

I had to sit on his message for a couple of days to finally reply something like: "Been there, done that, good luck, I hope that you find it in your heart to at least tell your girlfriend about you, this way she and you both can make an informed decision, rather than put her--and you--and future children to a potentially ugly cycle that more than a few of us have known and certainly don't wish upon anyone."

One of the reasons why I blog is to bring awareness to anyone who is gay and wishes to possibly explore the possibility of marrying a woman. I certainly thought I was capable of doing it, I was more than willing to "Never tell the truth and marry" but that promise I made to myself didn't last for very long... it was just a matter of time before the time bomb went off. I hope for the sake of those who think that they can manage, that they can conquer their feelings and marry that they give things lots of second thoughts. I am not against MOM (Mixed orientation marriages) as long as the woman who marries a gay man knows what she is getting into. I have mentioned over and over in my story that it is the one thing I wish I had told my ex...

But I suppose for everyone of me there have to be several others out there who are where I was 17 years ago... how to reach out to them, how to get the message out? I guess there's lots, lots, lots more to do....