That's a topic that we all like to talk about. They're also the topic of most of our problems and our tears. It isn't until you find someone that changes your life and you find yourself talking more about the happiness he gives you than the tears. I met a boy from Georgia who showed me that boys will be boys, but boys can also be gentlemen and here's what I learned by dating someone from the South. You will never have to touch a door. Boys should open 100% of doors for you. And a true southern gentleman will. Even when you tell them they don't need to anymore. It's in their DNA, they can't not do it. Southern manners are the best manners that you will ever experience. They have the manners to impress anyone within 0. Especially your father bonus points. A southern boy will out-charm anyone. They can fix literally everything. They are hard workers and are not afraid to get their hands dirty. From changing the oil in your car to assembling your new furniture, they know what they're doing. They're also really handy when you can't open jars or bottles of wine. This is not a valid email, please try again. And everything they make will be amazing! Have you ever had Southern homemade mac and cheese? Seriously, you're missing out. Family is very important to them. Family is number one. They will always be there for you, no matter what. Even if that means flying across the country for a football game or supporting you from miles away, you can always count on them to be there. He loves his mom. He's not afraid to show the world just how much he adores and respects her. Football is a religion. Also, there are a lot of key rules that you should become familiar with, like the difference between offense and defense. And you better be paying attention to when he is on the field, because that's really all that matters anyway. Camo is a color. And can be put on basically anything that you want. You better start incorporating some of it into your wardrobe now so that you can fit in! They are always down for an adventure. You will never be bored and you will always be laughing. And you will probably be doing things that you never saw yourself doing, like getting up before the sun to go fishing. They make everything that you do an adventure, no matter how small. The dates don't end even after years in a relationship. Dinner and movie nights will never come to and end. They are always trying to find a way to surprise you and make you feel loved and appreciated. Dear BFF's future hubby, First of all, congratulations. You've caught one of the sweetest, most beautiful fish in the sea. But I don't need to tell you this. You already know she's a dime plus ninety-nine. Wifing her up is definitely the best decision you've ever made. Our girl yes, she's mine too is one of a kind. She's strong, smart and unbelievably caring. Her standards are pretty darn high, so you must be quite the man. If I had to guess, I'd say you're very tall and very handsome. You probably also dress extremely well and drive a nice car. Most importantly, though, I'm sure you're an awesome person who treats my best friend like the princess she is. Now that you two have tied the knot, there are a few things we should get straight. You married me too. Sorry to break it to you, but her and I are a package deal. Lucky for you, I rock so this is no biggie. You can expect daily phone calls and multiple visits throughout the week. Some of these visits may result in sleepovers, and some of these sleepovers may be in your bed. You'll learn to love me almost as much as you love her. This is not a valid email, please try again. I'll be your go-to girl. If you ever need advice or anything of the sort, I got you. I know this girl better than 99% of people so I'll be your main source of info until you reach my level of expertise. It's likely that I played a big part in planning out your engagement so you probably already know how good I am at this kind of stuff. If she's ever upset, call me up and I'll I'll tell you how screwed up and give and how to fix it. If you want to know how to surprise her, I'm your gal. Of course, all of this will be our little secret. You can take full credit for any of the ideas I give you. If you hurt her, I'll cut your you-know-what off. I know you won't, but this is something I'm kind of required to say. I'm so glad she met you. This is the most important thing I want you to know. I can only imagine how incredibly happy you make my best friend. She doesn't fall in love with just anybody, so I know you're special. I can finally stop pretending to be her lesbian girlfriend when creepy guys hit on her at the bar. Thank you for proving me right all of those times I promised her there was a guy out there worth marrying. So here's the thing: I love straight people as much as the next guy. But being gay and trying to date straight girls is the hardest thing ever. Now, by straight, I don't mean someone who isn't homosexual. The girls that have romantic relationships with women but don't want to be seen in public on a date. The girls who can't stomach planning a future with a woman, despite any daydreams of a happily ever after with her by their side. The girls who can't even come out to themselves. Unfortunately, I feel like these kinds of straight girls are just so hard to stay away from. This is not a valid email, please try again. But the process is always the same: I meet a girl who says she's questioning her sexuality, we hit it off and I promise to help her adjust, then the relationship ends all too quickly, and always for that very reason. My emotions get all jacked-up, then almost instantly let down. For me, this means that I feel like I'm on a constant track towards disappointment, even though I know what I'm getting into in the beginning and that it probably won't work out. I think that, as a community, we can sympathize, and sometimes empathize, with the feeling of being torn between the painstaking awareness of who you are and devil on your shoulder telling you its wrong. But the problem is that this internal struggle is all too familiar to a lot of the community, and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier, either. Even with all of the Pride celebrations, national acknowledgment of the struggle that queer people have experienced for decades, and representation in the media, internalized homophobia still runs rampant. In fact, my most painful experiences with homophobia haven't been from homophobes, but within the very community where I found my tribe. So many friendships and relationships have been torn apart because one party feels too much pressure from our homophobic society that they squash it down themselves before the external pressures have the chance to. Maybe that's why the LGBT+ flag is a rainbow, symbolic of breaking free from the darkness. But one of the hardest things to accept as a gay person after coming out is that even if you kick your own internal homophobia out the door, you have the hardships of the rest of the community to deal with, too. It is a truly exhausting uphill battle; abandoning your pain only to have it replaced by that of millions of others. Or even the pain of that one special girl who hates herself for loving you.
