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Photo — Panji TedjaUnsplash

I wanted to flee my rural hometown to go somewhere, anywhere I could find people like me.

Being gay in rural America was lonely. Most believed we were the only ones. Escaping was the only option.

Many rural LGBTQ are drawn to the city to explore their same-sex attractions. The city is intriguing, exciting, and liberating, but at the same time, it seems foreign, inhospitable, and sometimes too “feminine.”

Many LGBTQ live in rural America and compartmentalize their sex lives to remain forever discreet.

Rural life is less oppressive than many LGBTQ imagine. Many there are more homo-naïve than homophobic.

The country for LGBTQ is not idyllic, but neither is it as abysmal as urban gay folklore suggests.

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Loren A Olson MD

Gay father; Psychiatrist; Award-winning author FINALLY OUT. Chapter excerpt here: http://bit.ly/2EyhXTY Top writer on Medium. Not medical advice.