Dating Games at the Mix

"Dude," I asked my roomie that night. "What is it like to go out and just know that you can go home with whoever you want, that you will always be approached for sex?"

"It's like being gay," he said with a smirk.

The time came for the final audience vote on the Gay Dating Game stage, where we all clapped for our favorites. I had chosen the guy on the far right, who said he played the guitar. I couldn't actually tell what he looked like, because I had long since lost my glasses.

"He's the cutest," said a guy drinking a Long Island iced tea.

I admit that all of my observations may be sour grapes. I've found that, looks-centric or not, straight men in San Francisco do not approach women at all. I have been out with some really beautiful, single women, and it's like pulling teeth to get Mr. Cool Pants to deign to speak to you. One of my girlfriends just moved to Nebraska, where she says it's much easier to meet people. "San Francisco is wack," she added.

It was near the end of the evening, and my roommate was making out with the Barney's guy while I nursed my last drink. The room was full of gay men having a ball, despite the end of the Dating Game. I realized that to really enjoy myself at a gay bar, I need entertainment: a drag revue, or the Project Runway finale being aired, or a retro game show playfully re-enacted. I felt out of sorts. I made a mental note to bring my roommate to one of my bars next time. Gay bars are fun, but I don't always want to live it up there.