Eugene Heffron

I’m a 30-something still trying to find my way in the world. Lover of all things creative, I am a drawer with an intuitive mind while also a deep thinker. I can be a person of extreme opposites: one moment a lone wolf, the next a social butterfly; one moment joyful and optimistic, yet sad and melancholic the next. As I came to terms with my SSA I met fellow SSA Christians and formed deep, intimate bonds. I’ve always longed for brotherhood and, at last, I have found it after years of social isolation. I am glad to be part of this community of bloggers and share my stories and struggles, joys and sorrows, dreams and longings.
Seeing Myself in the Secret of Crossdressing in "Ed Wood"
30 March 2021
Seeing Myself in the Secret of Crossdressing in “Ed Wood”
My teenage self saw a lot of me in Ed Wood. I may not have ever wanted to crossdress, but I still held my own big secret with homosexuality. I identified with this concept of struggling with a secret which society considers
by Eugene Heffron
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Surviving the Culture War as a "Side B" Believer
28 October 2020
Surviving the Culture War as a “Side B” Believer
In my years before finding Your Other Brothers, coming to terms with my sexuality was extremely difficult as it seemed there were only two options for my future. These two options reflected the polarized extremes embodying the culture
by Eugene Heffron
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So I Kinda Sorta Have an Asexual Side?
1 September 2020
So I Kinda Sorta Have an Asexual Side?
Don't get me wrong, I am completely and utterly attracted to men. I've never been attracted to a woman in my life. And yet my attraction to the same sex doesn't go quite as far as many others' do. Ultimately, I just have no desire for sex with other men even though I'm attracted to
by Eugene Heffron
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Longing for Intimacy with Straight Guy Friends
1 July 2020
Longing for Intimacy with Straight Guy Friends
I just have a longing to be accepted, seen as a man among men. To feel like one of the guys. Yes, I've experienced those feelings with fellow "Side B" friends, but sometimes it only feels like one side of the
by Eugene Heffron
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9 April 2020
The YOB ConvoCast 007: Tom & Eugene and the Side B Capital of the World!
Tom welcomes first-timer Eugene to the podcast to talk about writing some of YOB's most engaging blogs, his artistic process, losing his job amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the invaluable connections he's made through YOB and other outlets in St. Louis: the Side B capital of the
by Eugene Heffron
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The Struggle to Forgive Yourself for Sexual Failures
7 April 2020
The Struggle to Forgive Yourself for Sexual Failures
During one phone call, things took an unusual turn. He confided that he'd started talking to a guy. They'd started out on a Skype call together which had turned very sexual. He told me how deeply ashamed this call had made him, and he seemed to break on the phone. "Am I still a virgin?" he asked. "I feel like I've lost my virginity after this. I've done something sexual with a guy, and I can't take it
by Eugene Heffron
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The First Same-Sex Attracted Christian Man I Met
3 March 2020
The First Same-Sex Attracted Christian Man I Met
I enjoyed telling him my story and my struggles with faith and sexuality. I could talk to him about my failings and slip-ups and didn't feel any judgment or disapproval. I talked to him about my deep loneliness, longing for brotherhood and friendships – to be accepted by other men and yet met with rejection or cold indifference. It felt liberating talking to someone about this stuff for the first
by Eugene Heffron
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Why You Should Pursue "Side B" Community
21 January 2020
Why You Should Pursue “Side B” Community
Our community is like a family. These past few years I've grown such a huge family, far beyond my biological one. It's like I have cousins and, yes, brothers living in cities all over the world – family who would offer me a couch if ever I passed through town. That is an incredible
by Eugene Heffron
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Why I Love "Stand By Me"
26 November 2019
Why I Love “Stand By Me”
"Stand By Me" makes me pine for what I wish I could have had in my childhood but also makes me grateful for the friendships I have now as an adult. So, where to begin with this movie? Honestly, there's a lot. The movie's focus is the relationships among the four boys. They all come from broken families and bond together to form their own
by Eugene Heffron
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Befriending Straight Guys: The Final Frontier
27 September 2019
Befriending Straight Guys: The Final Frontier
Ah, straight guys — also known as "the normal ones." What a load of complicated feelings I have toward them. I see straight guys now and again in groups together. It evokes more of an emotional longing. A deeply profound longing. It's a feeling of wanting to be like them, to be one of them. To be normal and accepted by ordinary men and be like ordinary men. But it can't be that way. I'm
by Eugene Heffron
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