The IWWIT roll models Marcel and Stephan about the biggest gay scene in the world: the internet and how it is changing the gay world
Nothing since Stonewall has changed gay life like the internet. Everyone can find everything and everyone, bridging oceans, time zones and fear of contact in a matter of seconds. The WorldWideWeb has created a huge, global scene where the lights never go out and there is no curfew.
And if the desired information is not available, then - like role model Marcel - you simply create the forum you are looking for yourself: "I was looking for someone similar to me: young and HIV-positive. I couldn't identify with the existing HIV offers on the net. So I thought to myself: if it doesn't exist, why don't you start it yourself, maybe it will help others." With his blog on https://www.marceldams.com/ he wants to help others. Here he creates opportunities to share experiences, provide and collect information.
The internet also plays an important role for role model Stephan: "It's a great enrichment. I keep in touch with my friends and can meet new people."
Marcel also sees this as an advantage: "I'm very shy and made my first contacts online. My friends then took me to parties and pubs. That was much easier, I wouldn't have dared to do anything else."
Of course, the internet also harbours challenges. Marcel recommends actively creating space for yourself: "I consciously do things in my everyday life that have nothing to do with the internet, such as meeting up with friends, reading or doing sport. If you don't have any other hobbies, it can happen that you lose yourself completely in the internet and it becomes a substitute for real life. It's all in the mix. There are other things in life that are important and have priority, like work or school, so if that suffers, it's extremely bad."
Stephan summarises: "The internet does not replace life!" But it can certainly be a source of inspiration and information and provide important impulses for gay life.
Clemens Glade
