I'm new to the forum. My name is Doug. I grew up in Central Florida and moved to South Florida in the late 80's. I met my Hubby there in 1991, so we have been together for over 31 years. We were married in late 2016. We moved to Dallas in 2006 and love our quality of life here. The 70's and 80's were difficult for a couple of reasons. I grew up in the Baptist religion and learned to "hate myself" in my teenage/early adult years, but I've moved on. Also, I lost many friends and acquaintances during the 80's and 90's due to AIDS. It was a sad time, but I have happy memories of them. I had a successful 30-year career in my industry but my job was eliminated in 2020 during Covid. My Hubby hadn't been working for 5 years but went back to work so we could have health insurance. I decided to take an early retirement. I am loving life. Hubby is 8 years younger than me, so it was his turn! I look forward to many interesting and engaging conversations in this forum. I'm here for younger members who may be going through difficult times and for older members who would like to reminisce!
Doug.....Hello and a great big LGBTQIA+ welcome to Empty Closets to both you and your hubby! 31 years is a long time, you both deserve congratulations for such a long-term commitment! *****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! *****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 send me a Private Message. .....David
