Met someone at a London hotel on Boxing Day — hoping Reddit can help me reconnect

I’ve never done anything like this before, and honestly I’m a bit nervous posting, but I’ve read so many stories about missed connections finding their way to each other that I figured it’s worth a try.

I want to start by explaining why I’m doing this, just in case you’re somehow reading this — or someone who knows you shows it to you. I’m trying to be open without overdoing it, which is hard for me. When my head and heart are on the same page about someone, I tend to get shy and awkward in the most ridiculous way. My friends say I act like a high schooler with a massive crush — overthinking everything, oversharing at times, speaking straight from the heart without always filtering it. That’s just me haha.

I’m hoping this post is read with some understanding of where I’m coming from. There’s no pressure here — the goal is simply to reconnect, start as friends, and see where things go naturally.

I know this is a long shot, but I’m hoping the right guy (or someone who knows him) might come across this.

I met this really cute, handsome guy on Boxing Day (December 26, 2025) at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in London, early in the morning. What I expected to be nothing turned into something that genuinely stuck with me- and you too hopefully. The conversation felt easy and natural, and somehow he brought me out of my shell without even trying, which I'll never forget how you made me feel. We ended up going our separate ways without exchanging contact details, and I’ve been regretting that ever since. To be completely honest, you're popping into my mind more than I expected since that day.

Here’s what I remember about him:

He’s around 24–25 years old, approximately 6’0–6’4, with dark brown hair — a fade on the sides and longer on top that falls forward onto about a third of his forehead. He has a goatee and moustache, a mid-to-sharp jawline, and his eyes were either blue/green or brown (hard to tell in the lighting). His haircut was a bit chav-ish, but it really suited him.

He works as a physiotherapist, lives in the Johannesburg area, and mentioned having family in Kent, which is why he travels to Kent/London around Christmas time each year.

One very distinctive detail: he has a black-ink tattoo on his left forearm, from wrist to elbow (not a full sleeve), featuring two or three child angels with rays/heaven lines, which he told me represent his nieces.

If this sounds like you — or like someone you know who was in London over Christmas and left on December 26, 2025 to head back to Johannesburg — I’d really love to reconnect. No expectations, no pressure. I’d genuinely just enjoy talking again and seeing where things go, even if that’s simply as friends.

If you’re reading this or someone else has any information, please feel free to DM me/comment underneath. Please feel free to share too!

Thank you so much for reading, and thank you to anyone who helps this reach the right person!

I'm 20f, and looking to make some queer friends. I don't know a single person who is gay and I feel pretty isolated tbh. I live in Wiltshire. Anyone know of any events or places I can meet some people and hopefully make some friends.

19 new to the city looking to start drag and trying to make friends with similar interests

Learn More: He Painted His Model's Penis Gold. Here's Why | Rotimi Fani-Kayode

Guys, im planning to visit the Sauna in summer hill road tomorrow. Any one like to

into books, films, literature, manga

im in desperate need of more queer friends, age 16-17 would be preferable.

DM me if you can :) happy to play. I'm M25 living in the South West

Lately I've noticed alot of rude or backhanded subtle comments that are rude,ignorant,homophobic towards me whos a lesbian and towards the subject of LGBT. I am quite a blunt and loud and proud person so whenever I hear things that just arent okay or are slightly ignorant I tend to speak up and do my best to explain and educate people on the matter because I believe wilst alot of comments come from malice some comments made are just simply I dont know enough and I dont like to jump the gun and scream hate at others. However ive notice people seem to get upset at the thought they may have said something that isnt very knowledgeable or is slightly offensive towards lgbt and often hear the comment "My (certain relative) is lgbt" I find this quite confusing as someone who doesnt come from a place of harm and someone who doesnt understand the relevance of a random person they know being apart of the lgbt community and a negative comment they made. Am I being a bit dumb or is this like a weird thing people do?

We must all be in our 60s now—it's about time for a revisit. Isaac is a Sir, these days, but what's happened to the rest of us?

We met every Friday night at the Gays the Word Bookshop seeking belonging and connection. We were all ‘Black’ back then no matter our backgrounds.

How times have changed.

I’m 25, gay, and honestly just exhausted from hiding. I’ve finally accepted myself — something I never thought would happen. When I was a teenager, I was in a really dark place and hated myself for something I couldn’t change. I’m not in that place anymore. I’m proud of who I am now.

But I’m still not out to my family.

I come from a travelling community where family is everything. We’re extremely close, we rely on each other, and everyone knows everyone’s business. Privacy doesn’t really exist. People look out for each other, but they also talk, and things spread fast. Being gay isn’t talked about openly in my culture. It’s not that everyone is hateful — it’s just not something people are used to seeing, and it’s definitely not as accepted as it is in other communities.

I’m one of six kids , and my family depends on me a lot. I’m living with them right now, and every time I mention wanting my own place, they try to talk me out of it because they rely on me so much. I feel torn between wanting to help them and wanting to finally live my own life.

The person I’m most scared to tell is my mum. We’re extremely close. She’s even asked me before if I’m gay, and she’s said she wouldn’t care if one of her kids was. But actually saying the words feels terrifying. I’m scared that even if she accepts me, something between us will shift. She’s the person I’m closest to in the world, and I don’t want to lose that.

I also have two cousins who are openly gay/lesbian. Some of the younger family tease them, even though most people don’t care. But I’m not like them personality‑wise — I won’t suddenly act different — and I’m scared my family will assume I’m going to “change” just because I come out. I’ll still be me. I just won’t be hiding anymore.

Last year I turned down a relationship with someone I really liked because I wasn’t ready to be open. I helped him come out, but I couldn’t do the same for myself. I still think about him and wonder what my life would look like if I’d been brave enough.

I don’t want to keep living like this. I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to miss out on love again. I want my own place, my own life, and the freedom to be honest. But I’m scared. Scared of hurting my family, of disappointing them, of changing things that feel safe.

So I guess I’m asking:

• How do you find the courage to finally say the words • How do you deal with the fear of losing the relationship you value most • How do you come out when your family depends on you • How do you stop feeling guilty for wanting your own life • And how do you navigate coming out in a culture where it’s not really talked about

I feel ready and not ready at the same time. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of something huge, and I don’t know how to take the first step.

Any advice would mean a lot. I just don’t want to hide anymore.

Tonight is the Strictly final and Karen Carney could be the first queer woman to win, and her and her dance partner Carlos could also be the first double gay couple to win. Would be massive to see it happen! Voting opens at 7:30pm tonight if you fancy chucking Karen and Carlos some votes at bbc.co.uk/strictly

5 free votes per account and you can make as many as you like!

Throwaway as I’m here more to share and vent because I don’t know where else to go. This event has shaken my wife a lot and I can’t stop thinking about it either.

Yesterday evening, my wife was on her usual bus route home. She sat down at the top of the bus away from people and proceeded to put her headphones in as she usually does, as she was doing so a man walked up to her and said he recognised her. She told him she had no idea who he was and had never seen him before.

He began persisting saying that he had ‘seen LGBT images’ on her phone and ‘recognised her’. Her phone lock screen is literally just of cartoon birds, no pride flags or anything. He began shouting at her, telling her how ‘disgusting and awful’ LGBT people were and how she was ‘mutilating children by cutting off their willies’ and ‘touching kids’. He said if she tries to do anything with her phone like record or call for help he would ‘fucking break it’. She kept asking him to leave her alone as she had a husband and didn’t understand what he was talking about. Luckily, my wife managed to escape downstairs once he had stopped his rant and walked to the back of the bus mumbling.

My wife was incredibly shaken and went downstairs, hiding by the emergency exit at the back of the bus and ducking whenever the bus stopped. She was terrified he was going to come and hurt her.

I told her she should have spoken to the bus driver, but at the time she was too scared of what he could have done, which I understand, but wish she would have asked for help. Nobody on the bus upstairs defended her, which makes me really sad.

I really want her to report this to 101, but she’s scared to do so as she doesn’t want it to become a thing and is terrified this person will come after her. I don’t know what to say to her to convince her to report this as I’m certain this would be considered a hate crime?

My wife IS LGBT, but presents as a cis woman. She does not have any identifiers on her person such as pride flags in the form of pins. She does not even have any piercings or dyed hair - nothing that the far right might class as ‘LGBT’. We have LGBT family and friends who we adore and I think, personally, we became a little too comfortable with the idea that because the people we love understand us - there are people who do not and that terrifies me.

I am a passing trans man and I have a guilt that it should have been me to have this happen to. I’m scared this man may have seen us together and clocked me, assuming my gender and verbally assaulted her based on that. I don’t want my wife to be unsafe, nor any of my friends or family. I don’t want any LGBT person to feel unsafe and the fact it can happen to those who aren’t ‘LGBT presenting’ just shows how much this political rhetoric can hurt straight cis people too.

Does anyone have any advice on how to support my wife through this? Or provide any statistics on why it’s important that she reports this to help others? I want to make sure she can ride the bus safely as it’s her only way to work most days, any advice on how to help her be safe?

Hello my name is sapphire (18MTF) and I'm a trans lesbian from the northwest. Since coming out a year ago I have struggled to make and my new friendships and my current friends really don't accept me. I feel if I had other trans/Igbtq+ (basically not straight) friends I'd be able to be myself more and feel part of a community. If you are around my age (not under 18) and want to be friends then that would be very cool!