Dear F:

I hope you made sure that the therapist you choose is either gay or is not prejudiced against gay people in any way. And I hope it is a competent, empathetic, and hard working therapist, one for whom you exist beyond the 50 minutes per session. I had my first very good experience with a therapist later in life and if you want, I will share with you what made my experience (2011) the first of its kind.

Being chased or persecuted for being gay certainly caused you anxiety. How can it not.

I am sure you know that it is illogical for you must like the physically attractive men in the gym because you are gay. This thought you expressed here makes me think of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) exercise of challenging thoughts so to determine if they are distorted or accurate, and then, if distorted, correcting it. If you want to do this exercise here with me (I still have the form of this exercise in a folder, from my 2011-13 therapy), let me know.

anita