So something interesting landed in my yahoo! inbox the other day.  This completely random e-mail from a man claiming to be a gay man living in Bangladesh. He says he got my e-mail off a gay-related yahoo forum (very possible, I use that one for yahoo forums on topics from gay politics, to gay adoption, to science fiction writing, etc.) a while back and was trying to find a gay person somewhere, anywhere to talk to for support (I believe the punishment for homosexuality in his country is death, I’d have to check, but nonetheless it’s far less gay friendly than here).

Of course, I immediately was suspicious in this age of e-mail scams (”I am from Nigeria and just need a place to put my money!”). Still, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and responded (with no personal information). He’s replied back several times talking about his life (he’s in college now) and how hard it is for him. He’s both gay and Christian (Muslims are in the majority there and there are strong religious discrimination issues in Bangladesh).

So far, it seems genuine. It’s gone on for weeks and there’s no hint of “if you could just send me money”, etc. If it’s a hoax, he’s taking a long time to get around to it. I don’t give him much specifics on my life. He knows my first name, that I live in the U.S., am gay and atheist, have a partner and dogs, etc. Very generic stuff and I intend to keep it that way. I try to encourage him, and the support seems to be helping him.

All in all a very unique situation. Who knows who’s really behind it all? Maybe, just maybe it’s real and I’m helping out a little.