Whenever I was looking for answers online, EC was always on the first page of search results related to my questions. I saw people discussing topics similar or exact to what I have been dealing with.. so the site was very helpful. Finally, after lurking around on EC for months I decided that I might as well sign up since I couldn't stop coming back.
To find people to relate to. And thus far, I've had a whole lot of it. It's made me feel less alone with some of my problems.
Well, several years ago I was living in a very small and somewhat conservative town and I felt very isolated, I felt very alone, and depressed, I was acting out and being just generally ridiculous. I moved away, made some cool LGBT friends, found myself, went to school and then I stayed to help others. ^_^
A few years ago, I was looking at how to come to terms with being bi, and how to deal with the hate that I was getting from my former church. I really didn't think that I would stick around after that, but I did because I enjoyed reading the posts here and helping others. I eventually came out as trans* while I was a mod. So, I originally came to accept being bi, but I've gotten a lot more than that from here.
I first found this site because I had a crush on a straight friend, and an EC thread was the first thing that popped up on Google. Afterwards, I read other threads and I really liked the community, so I joined. Also, everyone in my school appears to be straight, as far as I'm concerned (it's a Catholic school). So I guess this place let me be myself and spam vent about my problems.
I joined EC after doing a generic Google search of, "Am I gay?", and I discovered that I could receive the support that I needed, especially during my questioning phase. Although, I will admit that I was afraid of putting myself out there at first, but I had to. My family has always been supportive, but talking to people who feel how I feel is so much better.
I was looking for a place where I can meet lesbians seeking friendship and I hit walls with a lot of sites :bang:where they wanted hookup. In my last resort searching internet thinking this will be my last try, and EC happened and it was life changing, because I found people just like me want to make friends and feeling a part of community. So I'm hooked up to this site since then :icon_wink
Came for advice as well, but I'm staying for sure since I feel I need to have a support system to find my way through. There is so much to learn from all you guys. I also try to respond to others and give them support if its within my limited experience as well, since we are all in this together at the end of the day.
I think I was just looking for a place where people would be at least somewhat similar to myself. shrug
I also came through google. Pretty sure I googled "Am I gay?" or something around those lines. It was one of the only places I found where people who really were unsure of their sexuality were talking about it. Most of the other places, understandably enough, were for people who knew their orientation and wanted to deal with that.
To know more about gender, and also talk about gender issues. I needed a safe place, 'cause a few months ago I had nobody to talk about it, and I felt too vulnerable to do it IRL. Now things are getting better, and it's partly because of the feedback I've got from members. I'm slowly becoming more social and open about myself IRL thanks to EC. To me posting and reading here feels like therapy.
I was looking for help with a really bad crush and I found the help here. I googled my problem and found this site, it was a great find.
I really like forums and I felt an LGBTQ+ forum would be ideal for me to meet and talk to similar people. The scene where I live is very small and incestuous, so I stay very much away!
The sex, why else? LOL! But seriously... I stumbled across this place a few times, over a period of time, and many of the threads were very... touching. Even though it had been a few years since my personal changes journey, I was still struggling with going forward or giving back that which I used to take. This place seemed, not only amusing, but supportive. Also, it allows me to give back positive vibes, as well as 'street smarts', which is where I tend to excel. Basically, I'll tell you every single option available to you, and trust you to make the best decision, for whatever your situation is. I'm not one for keeping it squeaky clean, because life doesn't always play fair. It also allows me to express and share, bits and pieces of myself, which does wonders for me. I rarely get to ever talk to somebody, even back when I had therapists. I'd always wind up just discussing their lives with them, with bits of mine, but never nothing deep or significant. Naturally, very little came of this, and I tended to myself -- alone. But here, that isn't the case, at least not entirely. Sure, I still do feel I'm on my own wave length, at times, and most folks won't ever truly understand me -- I doubt anybody will, to be honest. But I am actually appreciated for what I provide, and that is all I ever really wanted. Well, that and the world, but we'll leave the planet out of this for the time being, lol... What keeps me is a mixture of three things. The first is, I like to give back what I used to take. Fairly straight forward. Secondly, I can better hone my own writing skills, while receiving feedback and curious readers. This not only benefits me, but it allows others to compare and contrast their own styles. Finally, it's nice to have a place where, even if just for a particular moment or thread, my perception and experiences are deemed useful or valuable. It isn't always fun being the opportunistic one, but I can inspire and entertain many because of this, and somebody has to be -- it's a cruel world at times, and somebody has to be willing to point that out, or know how to push ahead with whatever means necessary, as opposed to being bound to 'right' or 'wrong'. At the end of the day, there's many intelligent minds, countless talented bodies, and versatile experienced souls here. Some know they are, but too many, sadly, do not see the remarkable potential within them. I like to think, maybe, just maybe, that my efforts will get folks to see these traits about themselves and, perhaps, just perhaps, embrace and utilize these. I'd like to see that, very much so.
i came for help and support with coming out and to speak to people who are having the same feeling as me and to try connect with my true self
Information at my fingertips. There's plenty stuff here that we can't find in textbooks. A lot of LGBT people from different walks of life. Way more than I'd find IRL without constant travel. It's also an interesting change from talking almost exclusively with heterosexual people. EC occasionally appeared in my google searches. I eventually gave up and joined. EC is more inclusive than many similar forum websites. THus I didn't join a website focused on only one pocket of the QUILTBAG.