Victory is Mine
From Savage Love last week…
I’ve been with my boyfriend for 11 years now, not 7 or 8. We met sleazy when I was 23, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. If we celebrated anniversaries, we’d be celebrating our dirty dozen in January 2007.
From Savage Love this week…
You write that you met your boyfriend “when I was 23” 11 years ago. C’mon, Dan! You’re not 34 (23 + 11), at least according to multiple online sources. (Wikipedia, IMDB.) Lying about your age is beneath you!—Boy Utterly Saddened To Encounter DeceitYou’re right, BUSTED, I shouldn’t lie about my age. But I worry that people won’t take my advice seriously when they learn that I’m only 27 and I’ve been with the same guy for 11 years. Readers might conclude that I can’t know all that much about dating, relationships, and heartbreak if I’ve been with the same guy since my junior year of high school. But the cat’s out of the bag now—damn you, Wikipedia!
From the mailbox this morning…
You’re only 27! And have been with the same guy for 11 years? And you’re worried people won’t take you seriously because of that? Dan I’ve been reading your columns since oh, at least 2000/2001 I guess, maybe longer, and I always assumed you were older than me. I love that you’re my age, I feel like we’ve grown up together now (although you never publish or respond to my letters and I’ve written you a few over the years. I can only hope that you read them.) First of all, don’t lie about your age. I think that’s so sweet and so beautiful. Think about it, somehow you had the stuff, from a young age (and 10 years ago it was harder to be young and gay than today I think) to find the right guy and you’re still together? Granted it’s not as sick and twisted as most of the people you get letters from, but would you rather get love advice from the sweet old couple that were high school sweethearts and have been married 50 years, or from the whore who has had the most sexual partners? I’m all for being GGG, and experimenting and I love the power and courage you give people both gay and straight, but isn’t there something good and honorable about the people who have commitment and love and dedication to a relationship? I know how hard it is to be young and successful, and the struggles that presents, but we’re almost thirty now Dan (once you hit 27 I think you can say pushing 30) and we can now stand tall as ourselves professionally. I don’t know if there is another sex advice columnist out there as well known or as well respected as you. It’s time to revel in your success. You’ve earned it. Enjoy!Cheers,
Shannon
Wow—pushing 30, that blows my mind. But you know what’s really going to blow Shannon’s mind? When she finds out that I’ve been writing “Savage Love” for 15 years—since I was, oh, 12 years old. Man, it sure was cool that old man Keck was willing to take a chance on a prepubescent sex-advice columnist way back in 1991, huh?
Let's see.... I met Dan AGES AGO at a book signing of his comic book at Bailey-Coy. Dan was dressed as Mrs. Santa Claus, and my friend Marianne and I had our picture taken with him. He pushed my head into your crotch. I was secretly thrilled.
Later that night I saw him at the Brass Connection and he was nice enough to come over and say hello to me. As usual, I didn't know what to say (I'm much better in writing) and I think he quite understandably wrote me off as a social retard.
And one of his actors in the Greek Active theatre company and I had a one-night stand before that, so he didn't just spring forth that giddy December evening at Bailey-Coy.
But what year was that? The Brass has been gone forever. Marianne moved to Albequerque ages ago.... to borrow a line from "Mame" I'd say that he's "somewhere between forty and death" (as am I, I'm afraid)
Dan, whatever your age is, you're fabulous and look Mahvelous, so don't sweat it.