The internet has opened up a world of opportunity for the queer community to mingle and find their love match. Cyber networking has broken down many of the barriers that gay and lesbian singles have faced in the past when trying to meet new people. There is a virtual smorgasbord of gay dating sites helping single queer people in their mission to hook-up and develop romantic relationships online.

The reason internet personals are so useful for gays and lesbians, more so than their hetero brothers and sisters, is two-fold:

1. PRIVACY
A web profile allows the user a certain degree of anonymity. It is a safe-space where users can control to what extent they are “outed”. Many gays and lesbians are not comfortable advertising their sexuality in to their family or in social situations like the workplace, or sporting teams. This can make the task of find meeting a potential partner in the real world a difficult task to navigate. The number of avenues open for seeking a soul mate or sexual partner are substantially less for a discrete gay person than for their straight counterparts. When you are a member of a gay dating site you can remain closeted without feeling isolated. Using face pics, or disclosing real names, locations, or places of employment, is not a compulsory requirement. The queer community has embraced the internet as a partner-seeking tool because it is a non-confrontational medium where privacy is easy to maintain.

2. PROXIMITY
A personals website also allows users to meet potential partners outside of their home locality, maximizing the pool of like-minded people that they can chat to. Gay people in remote or regional locations can interact with users in their capital cities, across the state, nationally, and even internationally. The internet literally opens the door on a whole new gay world that they may not be finding at their local pub. Gay people can explore their sexuality by chatting with other gay people. The internet removes distance as a limiting factor and brings people together who have sexuality in common. Many gay people enjoy the internet because it allows them to view their sexuality on a global scale. It is confidence boosting to know you are not so odd when it comes to the big picture. The internet brings companionship and the comfort of knowing you are not “the only gay in the village”.

Gay men tend to use Gaydar, Gay.com, Gay Friend Finder, or Gay Matchmaker, to find romance or new friends. There are more specific cruising and casual sex sites like Dudes Nude, Squirt, or Manhunt. The sites usually offer free memberships and allow users the send each other messages or exchange private pics.

Lesbians in Australia can find a friend on Pink Sofa, Planet Sappho, Fem Finder, or Gaydar Girls. The woman of your dreams can be found with a few clicks of the mouse.

Transgendered, cross-dressers, asexuals, and bi-curious swingers all have a niche on the internet. The possibilities are endless. There is a website out there for every minority group. All you need to do is Google a site that suits you, and register a profile.

The internet has streamlined the process of meeting new people. You can literally search for exactly the partner you are looking for, and openly state the type of relationship you would like to start. Sexuality-based dating sites have revolutionised the way queer people socialize and have improved the quality of life of the shy and separate.

I have a little joke between myself and my friends that I am a Giant.

Some variations of this are that Im an amazon, or a tranny, and I respond by referring to my smaller stature acquaintances as miniature, midgets, shrunken, or something of that nature. I also refer to small homosexual men as "pocket-gays" ever since Jack from Will & Grace coined the term and it spread through-out the queer community.

There is no malice or spite in these little terms of endearment, and they serve the purpose of acknowledging the elephant in the room (excuse the pun): Im a 6ft tall woman.

I have friends of all shapes and sizes, but more often than not I am the tallest person in the room.

I further accentuate this with my choice of footwear sometimes, because as a woman most of our "dressy" shoes presume we are seeking an extra inch or two . . . or three . . . or five.

Being the "Giant" had become part of my identity, and since I was already a Giant size by default it made no difference to me whether I was a size 18 or 20 because I knew I was shopping in the "fat lady" stores anyway.

To be honest, my weight used to regulate itself with my busy lifestyle, but a car accident, two ruptured lumbar disks, some depression, a move in with my parents, unemployment, the isolation of a rural property, and mums home-cooking, have thrown my metabolism out of whack and I finally realised I was giving new meaning to the nickname "Giant".

I started the Tony Ferguson diet three weeks ago. Its a meal replacement, shakes and low-carb type dealio, and Ive lost 4.1kg so far.

Im going to use this blog to discuss the program, and dieting in general, and give updates on my progress.

Theres a difference between being able to change a light-bulb without a ladder, or reaching the top shelf at the supermarket because of your long arms and height, and being wedged in a supermarket aisle or snapping the rungs off a ladder due to your weight.

I couldnt see that for awhile, but I think I just want to stick to being Giant in one direction.

Morgan Bell is a young Australian woman who is currently working as a professional freelance journalist.

Morgan was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1981.

She attended primary school in the regional areas of New South Wales including the Northern Rivers and South Coast, and she lived in Newcastle during her high school years.

Morgan is university educated in engineering, town planning and literature and has lived in various sharehouses and apartments with a colourful array of friends, strangers and landlords since moving to Sydney in 2000.

Morgan is passionate about gay rights and has her finger on the pulse of issues affecting the queer community in Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne.

Morgan enjoys socialising on the Oxford St scene and spent many years living in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills and maintaining a diverse network of gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and transgendered friends.

Morgan enjoys the visual and performing arts and can often be found at a stage show, cinema, gallery, or drag routine, she enjoys independant music and film, contemporary dance, musical theatre and dining out at cafes and restaurants in the city.

Morgan is a self-professed feminist and nerd and enjoys writing about developments in science, IT and communications, and the role of women in engineering and other non-traditional vocations and fields.