Gay Daddy & Bear Blog: Age Appropriate

God bless you internet. You provide so many of the things we never thought we wanted, but are so happy to discover they exist. For instance, this new bear-centric murder mystery/comedy web series, Where the Bears Are. I've never been one to follow a web series, but I got a few laughs from the trailer and the several shirtless (and pantsless) bears definitely piqued my interest even more. Maybe it's time I give one a chance. The series premieres August 1, and judging from the trailer plenty of hijinks are set to ensue.

"From the creative team of Rick Copp (The Brady Bunch Movie) Joe Dietl (The Thin Pink Line) and Ben Zook (Jack and Jill) comes “Where the Bears Are,” a comedy mystery web series that follows the exploits of three gay bear roommates living together in Los Angeles, as they attempt to solve the murder of a party guest that turned up dead in their bathroom."

Looks fun right?

There's about 200,000 Americans right now that don't know they're HIV-positive. Are you one of them?

Today is National HIV Testing Day and it's an important reminder to always know your status. HIV testing and prevention is something we should think about every day, but today is a good time to stop and think when the last time you were tested was and make sure you know where you stand. It's encouraging to learn that a record number of HIV+ people know their status, more than 1.1 million in the U.S. Now the Centers for Disease Control is working to make sure it's easier than ever to make quick and reliable testing available wherever you are, like your local pharmacy.

"Expanding testing access beyond traditional venues will increase the number of people who know their HIV status and help people with HIV get the medical treatment and care they need to live longer and healthier lives. If HIV testing were readily available at all pharmacies throughout our nation, millions of Americans who enter these stores and clinics every week would have ready access to testing services that not only can save their lives, but also help prevent further spread of the virus.

Currently, one third of people with HIV are diagnosed so long after they acquire their infection that they develop AIDS within one year. These individuals will be sicker, die sooner, and have infected more of...

We gays are often portrayed as courting drama . And while many of us avoid it at all costs, I can't help but wonder if it's inherent in our programming. Show of hands, when it comes to relationships, how many of you had a healthy, visible real life gay couple to look up to? And now one more time, show of hands, how many of you spent your formative years hiding, lying, and/or putting on a show to avoid your big gay secret from coming to light? Okay, hands down. I can't imagine many of you raised your hands for that first question, and that's no fault of yours. When I think back to my gay childhood there are certain things I cling to and they all revolved around story telling. Whether it was in the movies, on tv, or in a book, the love stories and relationships that I looked up to were all pure fiction. In the absence of a real gay relationship they're all I had. But the one common thread, and the unfortunate mark of any good love story, is that they all have obstacles to overcome. And there in lies the problem when holding your real life standards to the stories you grew up with.

I could go on about this topic, as I have at length with plenty of friends, but I'd love to hear from all of you. Do you often find yourself seeking relationships that are either unrealistic or require some miraculous turn of events for them to work out? Like the cold and distant fuck buddy who one day wakes up and is ready to be your boyfriend? Or the married man who leaves his husband for you? Or the troubled porn star/...

New York City is probably one of the best places for a gay man to be single. It's also one of the worst to be single and looking for a serious relationship. Then again, I thought that Pittsburgh was a terrible place to be a single relationship seeking gay man, and now it's on a list of the Top 10 Cities Where Gay Singles Are Looking For Marriage And Kids. Keep in mind, this list doesn't tell you the best places to secure a man seeking a serious relationship, but rather where the men are looking for one. Whether it's lack of options or lack of focus, it seems that all the friends I talk to around the world are unhappy with where they live in regards to being a single gay man. I've thought about leaving NYC more than a few times, but wonder if the city is really the problem.

So I ask, do you feel that where you live has negatively or positively affected your dating life?