Well Bagpuss, there's no reason to expect that our experiences or the people we've known should be exactly the same, is there?

I'm so glad to hear there's lots of people out there doing so much better than the ones I've known. And let me make this clear -- over half of the people I've known moved to my area from larger urban centers, like Toronto and Vancouver. So please don't get the impression that my community is at fault for breeding unhappy gays or something.

Your last point is excellent. How will the situation ever change unless, well, the changes are made? We have to start somewhere. It's just very unfortunate that the most powerless and vulnerable members of society are most often the ones who pay the highest price for those changes. I only hope it's really getting better every day.

The times they are still a-changin, after all.

daylia