Hello, All.....

Beezy.....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!

*****There are 18 different sub-forums here that you can check out and join in the conversations or start your own thread/conversation. When I first joined Empty Closets I was in need of a lot of support and encouragement and I found it here…EC is a safe place. I hope that you'll find good things here too! Folks here will talk to you and share...you don't have to be afraid of asking questions...we're glad to have you! Empty Closets is all about making connections and giving LGBT folks a voice when they otherwise don't have one in their day-to-day lives. In particular you may want to check out the forums that are titled "Sexual Orientation” and "LGBT Later in Life", there are people there who may have dealt with some of the same kind of issues that could be challenging you. There are a lot of us who were scarred by societies' rejection of our sexuality and therefore hid from society and from ourselves for a very long time. Then when the AIDS epidemic hit we retreated even further into our closet. My path was a little different...I was out when I was in college but then was devastated by the death of my boyfriend/soulmate and turned my back on my sexuality for more than 40 years. The depression and self-hate just became worse as the years went by and even though I had a wonderful family, I was getting worse all the time. I finally accepted that I was and always have been gay and came out here on Empty Closets in 2014 at the age of 64. The wonderful people here helped me on the night of my final crisis and stopped me from making a terrible decision that night. I am forever grateful for the help I received that night and want to do my best to help others who have faced those same feelings of rejection by society, by their friends and by their families. I felt that society was telling me that I was "broken", that I was a mistake. It took me many years to learn and accept that I am not broken, that I am not a mistake and that I deserve to have a life as free and happy as everyone else. I'm glad that we are making progress even though at times it is still difficult. I hope that we can be supportive and helpful for you as you work to figure out your own sexuality.

Some info on how to navigate EC:
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 always send me a Private Message.

.....David