#LoveIsLove – Do The Daniel

Wait a minute.. didn’t I just write something similar about Toronto? Why yes, I absolutely did and you can click here to read it as well depending on which city you’re celebrating in. Being that I am in between both for work and to spend time with my husband while we do the long distance thing, it only made sense to give Ottawa the attention it so deserves now that I’m back. Not to mention all the excitement that we all so desperately need with patios re-opening and a slow crawl towards the summer months and some sense of freedom. So how are Julio and I celebrating Pride in Ottawa? Let me share the fabulousness with you all!

People always ask me “when did you know you were gay?” And as a gay guy, I have to think about my answer because I spent a long time in the closet. While I can now openly admit I was messaging guys online and even looking at Free Gay Cams (dating was out of the picture, after all!) – at the time I wasn’t ready to accept myself and didn’t want anything to do with the gay community. But I remember being in my early twenties and coming out of the closet. A bit of a late bloomer in life, I decided to finally immerse myself in the gay culture Ottawa had to offer me as a young man. I met some of the most amazing people, started dating, and very much had formative experiences that helped me to become the man I am today.

Many years later, I would (as many of us do) shy away from Pride because I didn’t feel as though it and the celebrations therein represented who I was anymore. This year I have come back around and have realized that Pride is something to be proud of in more ways than I realized.

Tag: #LoveIsLove

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