If I remember correctly, they were released very quickly without formal charges being filed, because that law can no longer be used to successfully prosecute anyone post-Lawrence v. Texas.

When you consider the fact that unconstitutional anti-sodomy laws were used _last year_ in Louisiana to arrest people who accepted offers for consensual gay sex from undercover policemen (with no offer of money or anything else that might have made it prostitution), and then consider the fact that Louisiana's state…

I'm sorry I worried you! I never noticed that the phrase could be interpreted that way. (I didn't come up with it, by the way; it's something I've heard other people say.)

*Hugs hugs hugs*
My recommendation is to cut yourself some slack and be kind to yourself. Your weight, whatever it might be, won't keep you from being a wonderful partner to someone.

I have been in exactly one romantic relationship in my life. I had exactly the same concerns as you prior to entering it: would anyone…

That sounds like a wonderful solution! Dogs and cats are awesome. Unfortunately I don't think I could easily bring a pet with me when I move. Maybe I can get one after I move, though... And perhaps if/when I am able to find myself a long-term human, then it will be that much sweeter.

*Internet hug* for you.

I'm glad it's working out for you! I'm not sure that sort of arrangement would work for me, though. I think I would get too attached to the person. Lately I have found myself deeply wanting a serious partner.

If it helps any, here's an *internet hug*

Hi Jezzies. I've asked a question like this on an open thread before, so feel free to ignore me. I was wondering whether anyone has advice for how to deal with what I like to call "skin hunger." I'm not exactly lonely; I have plenty of wonderful friends that I spend time with. It's just that I have a deep longing…

Wow, I'm glad it turned out OK for you.

As for my ex, I wish she had found someone quickly, because I was one of the only people left in her life (I watched all of her close friendships end in spectacular fashion one by one, and her family was terrible to her), and I really did deeply care for her well-being. She…

Wow, I'm really sorry that happened. I hope you're doing OK. Despite my own recent experiences, I still firmly believe that kind, decent human beings do exist, and I dearly hope to build a romantic relationship with one someday.

I can empathize somewhat with you, if that is helpful. My ex-girlfriend repeatedly told…

If it's any consolation, I'm a single young man who would have no problem being with someone who earns more or is more intelligent than me. What I learned from being in an abusive relationship for over a year is that most of what matters in a partner is whether he/she is a kind, decent human being who is willing to…

This is neither here nor there, but I'm so happy I got my burner account back! I had placed the password inside a random file on my laptop, but I couldn't remember which. Finally I just ran the command cat **/*.tex | perl -ne "print if /([a-z]{5} ){3}[a-z]{5}/" and after sifting through the resulting pile of text I…

I am sure this is a less-important topic than many that will be posted, but does anyone have advice on how to handle the occasional longing that a single person might have for romantic companionship when it doesn't look logistically possible to pursue such a thing? I'm not really that lonely; I have plenty of…

I don't think you overreacted at all. I have struggled with anxiety, suicidal thoughts, low self-worth, and general despair in the past. For a very long time, almost every mention of suicide (or of common substances which could be used in fatal ways) would give me a panic attack almost instantly.

In my opinion, it's…

Awesome, congratulations! *internet high five*

I don't know how much it's worth to get encouragement from an internet stranger, but I'm really sad to hear that you've been treated that way. I have no doubt that you can and will do fantastic research.

Wow, that's terrible. Keep in mind that I'm male and might not always see sexism when it occurs, but I haven't noticed anything quite like that at my department (and if I ever do, then I hope I would speak out against it), although women are unfortunately still underrepresented here. On the other hand, it's also an…

I'm a mathematician-in-training. Unfortunately, even today only about 30% of new Ph.D.s in mathematics in the US are women. The one oasis of equality I know of is the University of Nebraska, where it's close to 50/50. I have seen absolutely no difference between the ability of women and men to understand abstract…

I'm a 100% NOT asexual guy, but I can't imagine having sex with someone (or even kissing) until I've developed a strong emotional connection with her. (Perhaps this is due to my (in)experience; my only romantic relationship so far was verbally/physically abusive.) Is it pretty much an expectation these days? I hope…