How Dating is Evolving During a Pandemic

Recently, our dating expert, Trelawney Bresic, spoke with LGBT+ journalist, Sebastian Mackay, about how the current pandemic is causing the dating scene to evolve.  Here, we share parts of their discussion:

SM: Do you have advice for people who want to join Gay Relationships but are nervous about social distance dating and video-chatting?

TK: Our members are taking their time to get to know each other and letting things move a bit more slowly. But there will come a time where you make decisions about your relationship and where you want to move that to. I don’t think we need to feel like if we start dating now, we’re going to have this stand-offish relationship for ever. So, I don’t think anybody needs to be discouraged. It’s about doing things slightly differently - this is fun, this is different.

SM: Do you find more people are interested in forging a proper relationship because hook-ups are off the cards?

I think so. And I think that people in relationships are really valuing that additional commitment. This is either going to make or break you when you’re together 24/7. You really see someone’s true colours in the time of crisis, don’t you? And I think that for people in relationships and people looking for relationships its hard now to think of that disposable club life. Maybe that will come back but we don’t know. In the beginning I thought this was a temporary blip and I didn’t want to think about it being life-changing.

I don’t know if you’re watching White Lines, which is the drama set around the Ibiza club scene?  I’m watching it thinking ‘I’m, not sure when anything like that will happen again’. I think there’s been a shift. A psychological shift in thinking about taking it one person at a time, valuing that person and adding more commitment.

SM: Going back to what sustains us, does that club life really sustain us for the long term? For some people it does but I don’t know a lot of people for who it does. I have people say to me that it’s bit empty and that they would like to find genuine love and that choice has been taken way now.

TB: It is about, do you really want to be on your own or do you want to face up to what it means to be committed to someone and to give someone time? At Gay Relationships, our members have made that commitment.