I’ll post more in depth later about my experience but for now I’ll just introduce myself . I’m 40 and a single mom . I’ve been married twice . Seeing someone now but feel like I’m really questioning things about my orientation and gender now and feeling really depressed and a little Lost about it . I found this forum through a link from an article about cishet . I’m learning a lot snd feeling like I’m really late in the game to be figuring myself out and like I’m sort of an imposter because of that
Hi @Ravenley - Welcome to EC! You will quickly find that there are a lot of us who are going through situations that are very similar to yours. Late in the game with figuring yourself out? Yep, me too! I'm a 51 year old married father of 3 who's trying to come out as gay! Does it depress me? Yes it does. But I can tell you that reading and responding to stories on here and interacting with others will make you feel so much better. We are all trying to figure it out together. Best of luck and welcome again!
Ravenley.....Hello and a great big LGBTQIA+ welcome to Empty Closets! I can remember the first post that I made on EC. I was desperate for help and I got the help that night that I so needed. I hope that we can help you in the same way that I received help. The most important thing to remember about Empty Closets is that we do care about you! We're very glad that you found us here on EC and hope that we can answer questions, give you support and provide a place to vent (as long as it's not violent!) when that becomes necessary! In particular you may want to check out the forums that are titled "Gender Identity and Expression” and "Gender Orientation" there are a lot of people there who have dealt with some of the same kind of issues that could be challenging you. *****There are 18 different sub-forums here that you can check out and join in the conversations or start your own thread/conversation. When you have made at least 10 posts on various threads you will be able to post messages on a member's Profile Page. Just click on a member's Avatar Picture and then click on "Profile Page" in the dialogue box that pops up. You'll then be on their Profile Page and there will be a box that says: "Write Something" When you have been on EC for a few weeks and have made at least 50 posts on various forums, you can apply for Full Membership. A Full Member can send Private Messages (PM) to other Full Members and share personal contact info. Right now you can only send a PM to a Staff Member as that is always possible. Here is a quote from the Full Membership information forum: *****To be eligible you must be a member of Empty Closets for a minimum of two weeks, and have a minimum of 50 posts. These posts must be across numerous forums (Fun & Games does not contribute to post count), and consistently posted across a minimum of two weeks. You wouldn't be eligible, for example, if you registered, had no activity for two weeks, and then returned to post 50 times on your 14th day of membership. *****Well, as I said, we're very glad you found us! If you have any questions at all, you can post a question on my Profile Page or send me a Private Message. .....David
Hi @Ravenley, welcome to EC! I hope you can find the support you're looking for here. I certainly wouldn't say you're an imposter at all... if you're on this journey like the rest of us and asking yourself these important questions, that's not fake at all. That's about as real as it gets! I can understand how you might feel "really late in the game"; I certainly feel behind compared to a lot of people my age. But my metaphor is this: I think about this journey like traveling on a bike trail, instead of boarding a train. On a train, everyone has to board and exit at the exact right time, and so on. But on a trail, you travel at your own pace, you can stop to look at the flowers, stop and talk to someone, double back a little when you need to, if the weather gets rough... but eventually, you can get to where you're going on your own terms, at your own pace! It's your story, nobody else's. We look forward to hearing from you!!
You're not late at all. There's no time limit in life to figure this stuff out. And you're definitely not an imposter. This place is very supportive, I hope being here can help you feel a bit better.
Hi there and welcome to the community! Glad that you have decided to join. It is never too late to figure things out or coming to terms with one's sexuality. Welcome.
