From Ramon Johnson,
Your Guide to Gay Life.
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Have you ever desired fantastic love? Not faux love based on one-night carnal romance, but a lasting relationship with someone that fits the bill both inside and out. The source of this dream 'moship wouldn't derive from chance or fate, but online—which has traditionally been a hot bed of extreme physical expectations with little internal substance.

The idea of romance eludes most gay men and the prospect of finding a lasting boyfriend seems less than plausible in a world overindulged with sex, abs and positions—hopelessly perpetuated by homomedia.

Ryan Norbauer and David Kooy, the duo behind Lovetastic—the gay world's newest dating site—have developed the answer for the gay man that desires more from his dating partner. Lovetastic normalizes the gay man beyond insecure quests for physical matches into a confident display of character.

"There's a fundamental hopefulness in what we're doing. It's a belief that gay men are entitled to the same love and expectations as anyone else." Norbauer continues, "Just because you're gay doesn't mean you have to give up any of the other things you might have otherwise wanted as a person."

For this reason, Norbauer created Lovetastic, a site where men are asked to talk about who they are, not just what they are. Lovetastic doesn't function on scientific personality calculations like other straight-based sites that claim to help soul mates find each other. Lovetastic puts it's users in the driver's seat. Hopefuls display as much or as little about themselves as they want. Each new user is given a different set of rotating profile questions, creating a unique profile for each person. Some singles talk about their most quirky behavior, others describe the person they're most proud of or the ideal career. The result: A forum of potential common interests and intrigue for more information. Think of it as a virtual first date as opposed to a wet T-shirt contest.

"We try to encourage people to stop and think and write in their own words who they are and what matters to them. So, rather than pigeon holding people into checkboxes and drop down menus, we nudge them into showing more of themselves," says Norbauer about Lovetastic's unique approach at finding a match.

In-depth profiles are also backed up by physical descriptions. Daters are free to draft their own physical descriptions, again sharing as much or as little as they like. Lovetastic also keeps user pics on the up and up. No shirtless or pantsless images are allowed. Despite their personality focus, Ryan and David urge that they are no prudes. They recognize that physical attraction and sex are important aspects of lasting relationships as well.

"We are definitely not prudes by any sense. We simply believe if you have any desire for a lasting relationship—and obviously sex is a part of it—then getting to know that person first is a very reasonable expectation." Kooy continues, "The intimacy that is necessary to have a good relationship transcends the questions that are asked [on other sites]."

As with any site, Lovetastic isn't for everyone. The site does, however, create a brilliant home for members of a so-called "post-gay" movement that prefer to wade in the deeper end of the pool. Members of this Lovetastic movement aren't rejects of gay culture, but its evolution into a diverse group of individuals that refuse to be defined by their sexuality.

Both Ryan and David chuckled when asked if Lovetastic really does help gay men find true matches. Ryan eagerly explained that he met his husband Alan on Lovetastic. They were married in Massachusetts in August of 2006.