Can I first specify the fact that I am indeed straight, with no leanings towards meat and two veg? This isn’t an anti-gay tribal rant, I’ve had mates who bat for the other side and have absolutely no problems with it. My problem is, I seem to have become a gay icon. Take this message left in my inbox on another site:

“Hey

I am 60, a father, grandfather and respected in the community. I have always been attracted to men but, until earlier this year, it was a fact I kept pretty well hidden. And then I found myself in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy, for God’s sake. He is an ex-student of mine who kind of hung around after he’d left school: he’d pop in to see me, stay and have a chat and that was okay. But then he started coming on to me. I was flattered (what man my age wouldn’t be?) but asked him to cut it out. I warned him that if he didn’t the day would come when I wouldn’t be able to say no and that’s what happened.

He moved in with me and lived here for seven months. We were happy, really happy, and the difference in our ages never seemed to make any difference. Then my son died suddenly (at 29) and a few months later I nearly died from a heart attack. When I came out of hospital he had gone, moved out. I can understand why and I know it took a lot of courage to go, but he refuses to have any contact with me.

So there, that’s me. The good thing is that it has made me realise that I’m okay and that it’s also okay to be who I am. All my family (even my son before he died), my friends, even Matt’s family, accepted our relationship and accept me.

Thanks again. Hope you don’t mind the “true confession”!

Be in touch.”

That “be in touch” thing at the end; it’s not unlike someone saying “I know where you live” in the fear stakes. It is, without a doubt, the scariest thing I’ve heard this year and I know some very scary folk. The site in question is Yuwie. It’s a social networking site that promises to pay you a percentage of the revenue if you relentlessly use the precious hours of your life bombarding people with friend requests, messages and blogs.

Why the hell did anyone think money would be a good incentive? I’m being bombarded with eplilepsy inducing advertising and the strangest collection of “friends” you’ve ever seen, from greek pole dancers to romanian farmers. Subliminal advertising’s given me a fondness for womens panties and waxing kits and I DON’T KNOW WHY. I know I should delete the account and return to the normal world before a misplaced advert induces a heroin addiction, but how else would I be able to replicate the incredulous look on first booting my pc of a morning?