As gay men, you've struggled through and endured all of the challenges inherent in finding true love with another man in this homophobic society, however, you did it! You found your Mr. Right! So now what?!

Not just did we as gay men not receive any education or guidance in how to date another man, but we certainly didn't obtain the training manual regarding how to sustain a proper, intimate partnership
with him after we found our ideal guy and decided to form a commitment with him. Gay partnerships can be quite rewarding and fulfilling, but they require conscious effort and attentiveness to foster their successful growth and intimacy. Below is a short tips list that gay couples may use like a quick-reference guide for keeping relationships on the right track. Keep these summary sentences in mind and you'll have a good foundation in place to make your relationship solid gold!

Relationship Success Tips

1. Avoid placing all of your emotional needs on your partner.
Develop your personal individual identity and through those experiences, your relationship will be enriched as you keep breathing new life into it.

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2. Even when you've been together quite a long time, never expect your partner to be aware what your needs are. Mind-reading and making assumptions only leads to misunderstandings and potential conflicts. Learn how to be assertive and get directly for which you want.

3. Periodically have a "check-in" with your partner to reexamine how the relationship is going and how satisfied you and your spouse are. This keeps the channels of communication open and may help renew the relationship, reinforcing the positives and uncovering areas looking for attention before things get too misguided.

4. Characteristic of relationship development, most couples have a diminishment of that honeymoon phase "high" that's experienced in the start of a relationship once they first started dating. This is normal and not grounds to be concerned that there is something necessarily wrong. When this occurs, make an effort to bring more creativity and vitality into your relationship and sex life to spice things up. Surprise your lover. Be spontaneous and playful. Make him observe how special and important he's to you.

5. Examine your satisfaction using the roles you play in your relationship. A genuine advantage of gay relationships may be the ability to be flexible with life roles and not to have to ascribe to traditional sex role stereotypes commonly held in heterosexual relationships. Negotiate such roles and tasks openly and freely with your partner, acknowledging regions of strength and talent in this decision-making.

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6. Avoid letting disagreements become ugly verbal battles where things might be asserted are later regretted. Learn basic anger management principles and know when to call a "Time-Out" to defuse unproductive anger. Also learn how to re-engage following the cool-down period so issues could be resolved peacefully.

7. Protect your relationship legally by seeking the help of a lawyer to obtain the necessary legal documents befitting your particular relationship situation, including things like power of attorney, wills, beneficiary designations, etc. Preparing in advance with such things can insure that you are each taken care of when something ended up being to jeopardize your union.

8. Don't let the busyness of life remove out of your relationship. Look for a balance between work, time alone, friends, family, and time spent as a couple. Make "Date Night" a regular part of your way of life where you avoid discussing your problems or issues and just enjoy spending that quality time together. Never take one another as a given and remember that you are a team.