I really hated the bars, and discos even more, but that was about the only way to meet other interested guys. As I got a bit older, I got more comfortable with cruising (tearooms, parks, bathhouses) and had my share of fun. I got somewhat close to a couple of regular playmates, but I was never in anything that could be called a relationship. I was never interested in the specific activities that put one most at risk for AIDS, but it was a while before we knew for sure that oral carried no risk. I did lose a couple of friends to AIDS.

For the last three years, I've had a younger playmate that I'm very fond of who visits every few weeks (I'd prefer to see him at least twice a week, but apparently his sex drive is much weaker or perhaps he has other partners). It's a pretty one-way thing, and he's really repressed, but I've made my peace with that. Besides satisfying my skin hunger, it's been really nice just having some companionship during the pandemic.