I can remember actually having a girlfriend back in the 8th grade. And somehow I thought I was into her. When I was 15, I started thinking more about guys. I had crushes on teachers, mainly. I suppressed the feelings and thoughts entirely until I got out on my own. When I was 20, I had my second girlfriend, then the third (and final) at 25. All along, I knew I was attracted to guys - I found some websites that were gay dating sites (actually where I met my first boyfriend, the two guys I dated, and my current boyfriend). When I first got out on my own, I was having more bisexual tendencies, so I guess it's safe to say I wasn't sure what I wanted at the time.
I became friends with a gay couple that lived in my complex, and I loved hanging out with them. They loved the fact that I accepted them as a gay couple. Unfortunately, I lost touch with them, and I know they parted ways a few years ago. I still see one of them online, as their screen name is on my AOL IM list.
Anyways, at the age of 29, one night I decided to try and make some contacts. At first, I was anxious, and my anxiety was running more rampant as I met some rather weird guys, who had really no clue how to get to me - they just wanted sex. I then met my first boyfriend, who showed me more about myself, and helped me to accept that I am truly gay. Since then, I've dated three guys, one being my current boyfriend.
As for my own situation, I have come out in small steps. There are still people from my hometown that don't know, including my parents, and I'm still very on the fence about coming out to them. It is just more of the way I can predict that they will react, and in my current situation, I have no emotional strength to endure that. Maybe one day...
I think back to why I dated the girls that I did. It was more peer pressure. Growing up in the town that I did, it was more blue collar, old-fashioned. There was hardly any GLBT members around, and if they were, they were harassed. I remember a lesbian couple in my high school that got constant harassment because they decided to come out one day. If anything, that made me shut the closet door and lock it from the inside.
That's my story.