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Where Is the Divide: Age, Sexual experience, or Class?

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So I am finally asking for some opinions/advice! Bear with me this is a LONG post:

I moved to the NYC area recently and met a guy online. We went on a date and had a pretty good connection, so I decided I wanted to pursue it and see where it goes. The only problem at this point was that we both liked being tops from a sexual perspective, however, I really liked the guy and we both wanted to see what might come of it. We are both black (he says he is black but he is really half black and half white, although I never brought it up), but one thing he did point out is that I seem to come from a middle class/upper middle class background by the way I carry myself (talking, gestures, diction, experiences, etc) at my current age (25), where as he grew up poorer and with a considerably less stable/comfortable childhood than I had. He referred to me as an "All American" and "Ivy League Frat boy" Gay, or something like that. I took it jokingly. He is also 37. I didn't really think too much about it, but just that it is normal 1st date material.


Date 2:

I met him again the next weekend and we went for pizza, then I went back to his place and had sex, where I bottomed for the first time. Because I hadn't tried it before, I told him I wanted to try with him because I liked him, and he was more than eager to be my first. It was DEFINITELY an awkward encounter because it hurt for me, but we were both into it and both came. Afterwards, we watched a movie together and talked, and generally had a good day.

Date 3:

Since the second date, I had actually been planning to try anal sex again with him to understand if I could grow to like it. We planned to get dinner at this place, where he asked me if I ever wanted kids. I replied yes, and returned the question. He replied that he did not, because he hated kids/too much responsibility. He also went a step further to say that a lot of his gay friends and gay men he knows think that it is their attempt to try and be "normal" and live the american dream, citing how some gay people he knew wanted the perfect kid and would be difficult to deal with the fact that they may not get the kid they expect in the end.

I replied, saying that isn't that what every parent, gay or straight, goes through who actually wants to have a kid? He agreed but said gay people were different, because in his experience they were more superficial about it.

So then I said something like,"Do you think the fact that you do not want kids is because of the fact that you didn't like your childhood?" I don't remember exactly if I said it as a question, or a statement which I guess could be important for asking advice, but it was not meant as an attack or said with malice. He then got a little defensive and said, "It is probably not a good idea to psychoanalyze someone you are just starting to get to know," and I replied "I wasn't psychoanalyzing, I was just saying what I felt," at which point he replied, "Yea but you don't know anything about me and I didn't ask you your opinion." And I replied, "Yea I don't need permission to give my opinion." ***Awkward Silence***

I then changed the subject, as I didn't want to upset him anymore. By the time I was coming back to drop him off at his apartment we started talking about where our relationship would go next, and he said that he didn't know because I was different than other guys he had dated, and I asked what specifically.

He replied:

1. I was younger (13 years) so he didn't think I had enough dating experience or experience being in gay culture. I started coming out when I was 24, but had been sleeping with guys since age 20. He came out at age 18. He then referred to me not being experienced in dating because the last weekend. We had planned to get dinner saturday. He called me to say he was really tired and wanted to go some other time. I still hadnt eaten and wanted to go to dinner, and I didnt know anyone in the city. I found another guy to go to dinner with online. In hindsight this was a wrong thing to do because I guess technically I was on a date with another guy, but I didn't see it as much of a date, more just out to dinner, but I see how that could look. I admit this was a fuck up, but only because I wanted to see him Saturday in the first place did I text him from my "date" with the other guy. But we ended up going out twice after that, so I don't think he was that offended by it.

2. He then said that my comment was a little arrogant about me saying what I thought about why he didn't want to have kids/family, and that somethings I have to learn to keep to myself, and that it could've been a product of my upbringing.

3. He also said, in more or less terms, that my life experience wasn't "black enough" or in touch enough with "black culture" for him because I had a pretty well off upbringing, but also he referenced conversations we had before about me never taking any Afro American history classes during college, or not knowing some black history facts like the first black woman and man to win Oscars, or not having read the autobiography of Malcolm X, etc. (I am not an idiot, and I do know some black history, I could know more, but I personally don't believe that makes anyone more or less black). I then told him I think that he is limiting the "black" experience to what he has seen or experienced and that it is much broader than that and that it spans geography and class, so he couldn't tell me my experience was not black enough because it wasn't his experience of "black culture." He apologized for insinuating I wasn't black enough, but at that point I was kind of annoyed. He then referenced that I told him I had been with more white guys than black guys also as "evidence," which I replied that I lived in Atlanta and Houston (high black populations in both) and Ive been with black guys in both cities.

4. He also said that he didn't know if sexually we would be a match, because he would want me to bottom during sex, and because of this I wasn't sexually experienced enough for him as well. He thought maybe I needed to go to a club and feel guys grind on me and have a few one night stands or whatever to have more sexual experience and that I didn't seem comfortable with being gay yet either. I responded well I don't know if I even could because I have only done it once (2 days earlier) and still haven't decided whether or not I like it enough to do it on a regular basis with someone, but I needed to do it more to understand that. He then said it's probably going to be difficult to park around here, but you are welcome to come hang out if you want. I decided to call it a night and drove home.

My Conclusion:

He was saying several different reasons why we may not be compatible, but the one that I think it all stemmed from his class and upbringing.

His upbringing/class for whatever reason makes him think that "black culture" and "blackness" are so easily defined and identified in other people, which is why he would think I'm not black enough. Although I attended predominantly white schools all my life, I suspect that him being mixed and attending predominantly black schools is where this is coming from.

His upbringing/class makes him not want to have kids/family (that was just my initial speculation, but it seemed to be another reason we werent compatible)

His upbringing/class makes him think that I have not had enough sexual experiences (I have had MANY sexual experiences, I was just always the top, as was he in his sexual experiences), but I am just not as ready to TALK about prior sexual experiences because that is just not how I was raised or brought up. I never saw my parents show sexual affection to one another in the audience of others, nor many people in my family.

So ultimately, the main reason I suspect we are not compatible is because of CLASS, and the other things are a driver of that.

Questions:

1. Is anyone in relationships with people of a different class and how easy/hard was it to bridge that gap?

2. Do you agree with my conclusions and logic? What do you deduce from this situation? If not class, why are we not compatible?

3. Has anyone been deemed incompatible by someone of your own race because they said you were not in touch with the "white/black/hispanic" community enough? Is that common in the gay community?

Thanks for all responses in advance!
 
...So ultimately, the main reason I suspect we are not compatible is because of CLASS, and the other things are a driver of that.

It does seem like class is becoming more of an issue across the board- even with straight couples.

While race might be amplifying the issue, it's not just about race based upon your OP. As the saying goes, "It's not just where you came from, it's also where you're going". It sounds like you want a more upwardly-mobile middle class traditional life- a good job, a good home, a family - which is something that he considers "Ivy League".

It sounds like you want different things from life than he does. The other issues- children, top/bottom, racial identity- just reinforce that there's probably not enough there to make it work.
 
I think that you touched a nerve and you're "incompatible" because he got annoyed - all the rest is excuse. I'm older than him, not black but very gay, and my experience is this, if there is an external factor (not related to personality) that makes guys incompatible, it's usually race.

- - - Updated - - -

Occams razor, you had a bad date and he got huffy.
 
It does seem like class is becoming more of an issue across the board- even with straight couples.

While race might be amplifying the issue, it's not just about race based upon your OP. As the saying goes, "It's not just where you came from, it's also where you're going". It sounds like you want a more upwardly-mobile middle class traditional life- a good job, a good home, a family - which is something that he considers "Ivy League".

It sounds like you want different things from life than he does. The other issues- children, top/bottom, racial identity- just reinforce that there's probably not enough there to make it work.

Thanks for your perspective. I think it is too, especially as you get older, because income divides can often widen significantly between your peers and its more evident. I hate to even admit it, but I did kinda like him and I still wouldn't be opposed to seeing him again, at least for me to try bottoming again...Should I call him and see if he is down for that? Or do you think it wouldnt be a good idea considering I still kind of like him?

I think that you touched a nerve and you're "incompatible" because he got annoyed - all the rest is excuse. I'm older than him, not black but very gay, and my experience is this, if there is an external factor (not related to personality) that makes guys incompatible, it's usually race.

- - - Updated - - -

Occams razor, you had a bad date and he got huffy.

Thanks for the bluntness, this makes perfect sense.
 
Judging from your report, he has quite severe inferiority complexes. You have to decide whether you want to do this to you…
 
...I did kinda like him and I still wouldn't be opposed to seeing him again, at least for me to try bottoming again...Should I call him and see if he is down for that? Or do you think it wouldnt be a good idea considering I still kind of like him?
That's something that only you can answer.

Assuming that "kinda like" means that you can separate your feelings enough to avoid getting emotionally involved and you could have sex with someone that doesn't sound like he's particularly compatible with you.

Are there better choices? Definitely.
 
Breaking it down...I think class/upbringing is the biggest issue. It is often an issue across the board for gay and straight people alike.

The wrong question or even the wrong phrasing might tell someone with a different background that you are out of touch with what some people have to deal with...or what you haven't had to deal with.

The age gap might be secondary. You want different things and probably have different standards. I know I resent any of the new homonormative standards and I have a bad enough time reading it on the internet...in person I would become a pitbull. I think if I was younger I might not know the beauty of not having to live with the new gay morality and asking me about children would be a really bad idea. I can relate to the comments he made...

Those are my impressions...
 
Oh, boy!

There are so many racial nuances in American society and no one seems to be comfortable with them. In addition, it's easy for people to have a chip on their shoulder. He's looking for outward signs of compatibility and that's a problem when it comes to the two of you. You don't have that.

Then he began questioning inner briefs as in wanting kids. When you answered opposite of him and questioned as to what made him the way he is, he became defensive and accusatory. You have both internal AND external incompatibility with him.

A lot of couples find out they have either what I've been calling internal or external compatibility and then they work on their differences and their built in conflicts, knowing they have an anchor somewhere keeping them together as they work out issues. If everything is a conflict it's about winning and losing, giving in and resentment.

Race, class, educational and sexual issues, etc don't matter as much if the couple is united in outlook and direction and can discuss these issues openly with honesty and even humor.

This early on, it seems your roadblocks are actually fences.
 
I think you live in different worlds.

I'm 5 years older than he is. I met gay people like him when I came out in the early 90's. I was in my 20s, and guys who were late 30's had lived through different times.

To be gay back then was to be an outcast, and a lot of them fought against it politically but they actually liked life on the margins. At least that was all they knew, and they knew how to make it through life that way. So you'd get all kinds of bullshit arguments from them about how marriage was "coopting heterosexual norms" and bla bla bla... The younger generation wanted a guy, a marriage, a house in the suburbs, not because we wanted to be straight but because it's a nice way to live and we weren't going to let only the straight people live that way.

This guy sounds the same, except being black is his thing. Sounds like he's over all the sexual orientation stuff but he still sees reality different because of the way he grew up.

I would have found that an instant turn off. But you've seen it and you're not turned off. So I don't know what to suggest because I would have walked away from him fast the same way I walked away from those gay guys a half generation older than me. No real common ground about the kind of world we want to live in and the kind of life that's possible.
 
Breaking it down...I think class/upbringing is the biggest issue. It is often an issue across the board for gay and straight people alike.

The wrong question or even the wrong phrasing might tell someone with a different background that you are out of touch with what some people have to deal with...or what you haven't had to deal with.

The age gap might be secondary. You want different things and probably have different standards. I know I resent any of the new homonormative standards and I have a bad enough time reading it on the internet...in person I would become a pitbull. I think if I was younger I might not know the beauty of not having to live with the new gay morality and asking me about children would be a really bad idea. I can relate to the comments he made...

Those are my impressions...

Thanks for responding. Can you elaborate on the new "gay morality"? Are you saying that before, gay men could more easily sleep around, but now, guys think twice because it is against some social/moral code that didnt exist 10-15 years ago? What is the beauty of sleeping around anyway if you can find one guy who satisfies you sexually? I feel like sleeping around would be more work...

Also, how old are you? JW
 
I think you live in different worlds.

I'm 5 years older than he is. I met gay people like him when I came out in the early 90's. I was in my 20s, and guys who were late 30's had lived through different times.

To be gay back then was to be an outcast, and a lot of them fought against it politically but they actually liked life on the margins. At least that was all they knew, and they knew how to make it through life that way. So you'd get all kinds of bullshit arguments from them about how marriage was "coopting heterosexual norms" and bla bla bla... The younger generation wanted a guy, a marriage, a house in the suburbs, not because we wanted to be straight but because it's a nice way to live and we weren't going to let only the straight people live that way.

This guy sounds the same, except being black is his thing. Sounds like he's over all the sexual orientation stuff but he still sees reality different because of the way he grew up.

I would have found that an instant turn off. But you've seen it and you're not turned off. So I don't know what to suggest because I would have walked away from him fast the same way I walked away from those gay guys a half generation older than me. No real common ground about the kind of world we want to live in and the kind of life that's possible.

Thanks for your assessment and I agree that we are ultimately incompatible, but I guess I'm not running away just yet because he was an otherwise cool guy to hang out with and I want him to top me again :sex:

But it is interesting how what used to be on the margin of society, now, many people don't even blink at. He told me his father threw him out when he came out. I know that still happens, but I have to assume its a LOT less frequent than it was in the 90s, especially in the black community.
 
Oh, boy!

There are so many racial nuances in American society and no one seems to be comfortable with them. In addition, it's easy for people to have a chip on their shoulder. He's looking for outward signs of compatibility and that's a problem when it comes to the two of you. You don't have that.

Then he began questioning inner briefs as in wanting kids. When you answered opposite of him and questioned as to what made him the way he is, he became defensive and accusatory. You have both internal AND external incompatibility with him.

A lot of couples find out they have either what I've been calling internal or external compatibility and then they work on their differences and their built in conflicts, knowing they have an anchor somewhere keeping them together as they work out issues. If everything is a conflict it's about winning and losing, giving in and resentment.

Race, class, educational and sexual issues, etc don't matter as much if the couple is united in outlook and direction and can discuss these issues openly with honesty and even humor.

This early on, it seems your roadblocks are actually fences.

Thanks for the response Seasoned. You should start charging by the hour. I never really thought about outlook and direction as being something I should be looking for when determining true compatibility.

So I don't think we will be in a relationship ever, but he was cool to hang around and I havent found too many other guys yet...Do you think I should continue to explore being a bottom with him, or would that not be good emotionally? I think it would be fun with him because he seems to know what he is doing. I have been trying to only have sex with people I can see some type of future with, but is that a good outlook on life? Is this the "gay morality" to which eastofeden refers?
 
Any black guys out there who had encountered another gay black guy questioning your blackness? I wonder if this is an issue in our community as well or just a one off experience.
 
Ok.. I only read the first post. I wasn't going to respond but I saw your last post and thought as a black guy who loves to help in this sub-forum, it would behoove me to do so.

So... I'll give it a shot:

Questions:

1. Is anyone in relationships with people of a different class and how easy/hard was it to bridge that gap?
It really depends on the people involved. If class doesn't matter to you and you're really into someone (and vice versa), then it should be easy.
For myself? My class and upbringing define much of who I am and what I'm passionate about. I find that if I can't relate to someone on this level, it is a huge hole in our potential relationship.
However, I know people who have been dirt poor who get along great with upper class guys. It really does depend on the person and his preference.

2. Do you agree with my conclusions and logic? What do you deduce from this situation? If not class, why are we not compatible?
You're not compatible because this guy is arrogant, judgmental and thinks he knows it all. Unfortunately, I've met similar black men that make me want to roll my eyes. It's not exclusive to black men of course but it's something I've lamented about some gay blacks in my experience.

3. Has anyone been deemed incompatible by someone of your own race because they said you were not in touch with the "white/black/hispanic" community enough? Is that common in the gay community?

Yes. I've experienced both sides of this problem. There are some guys who define "blackness" very narrowly and expect you to act and behave a certain way in order to qualify. Forget those guys because they're not worth your time.

HOWEVER....there are black guys (who are often usually not into other blacks so it's not a problem) who have obviously grown up with different cultural influences. I don't need to date a black guy but I need my partner (whether he is black, white, purple, etc.) to understand or at least try to understand how being black has shaped who I am. I'm also turned off by black guys who have assimilated into "white" or "upper class" society/culture.

These things are complicated. Anytime you're trying to find compatibility for a relationship you go above and beyond simply getting along with someone. Therefore, the standards are much higher than they would be for friends and acquaintances. Perhaps there were qualities about you that irked this man and he just communicated it in a poor and tactless way. Either way, the only thing that matters is that you were incompatible and it was not because of X, Y, or Z but merely because you two as individuals don't fit.
 
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