Twenty years ago… Titanic dominated the Oscars, The first Apple iMac came out, Harrison Ford was named the Sexiest man alive, Europeans agreed to use the Euro, Brad Pitt and Jenifer Anniston were still a ‘thing’, and it was during this time that ROMEO was born.

You heard it right, ROMEO is celebrating 20 years of igniting love, friends and dates. Did you read our previous blog post? Jens, the founder, shares the rainbow timeline of ROMEO from beginning until now.

Since 2001, ROMEO has been through an exciting, transformative, touching journey. After seeing the growth of ROMEO over time we want to share with you some heart-felt, funny, romantic stories and experiences from our eldest ROMEO users. To celebrate our birthday we reached out to our original users who have been using ROMEO since the early 2000’s. We asked them for funny, loving, exciting stories that they have experienced just from using ROMEO. From flying to Africa, to selling their car, you’re in for a treat!

Detlef

Breakfast on Motzstraße

I have many stories, but honestly they deserve to stay in the darkrooms of the world ;-) I shared a few cosy beers with a ROMEO or simply long term friendships. A favorite memory of mine is breakfast time on Motzstraße. I am so happy and proud to have been with ROMEO from the very beginning. I have experienced a lot with ROMEO over the years as a tutor, and for me it is THE platform.

Jordan Fox

The granny who offered us Tea

On ROMEO, I wasn’t necessarily looking for love. But I definitely found what I was looking for; Great sex! And some even became very good friends. A funny memory of mine was that I dated a guy, and fucked. He asked me to be discreet (because he has a boyfriend) one week later, another guy in the same apartment asked me to be discreet too, it turns out these two were together!! An embarrassing story is that once, a guy was living with his grandma, she was so sweet to us and offered us tea after sex. I have so many memories from using ROMEO and I’m grateful for this. This website has been a huge part of my sex life since I was 18. Thanks ROMEO.

Ensoñador

Viennas’ original ROMEO

Hello dear gayromeo team, Yes, your message made me very happy for the reminder that I have been there since the first hour, actually where you had advertising in the Midnight Sun Bar in Berlin and my best friend who worked at the bar there asked me to register and advertise a little to make Vienna! I was the first to register under Vienna and Austria.

Elvis Von Arx

Great sex and great affairs

20 years ago I was registered in different chat rooms, none of them satisfied me with the layout and presentation. At some point someone wrote to me: there is something new, and it suits you! GayRomeo. I signed up straight away and was immediately impressed. I was only the third Swiss citizen and the only city that had many users was Berlin. So I started to write with Berliner and soon visited them. Some contacts have not broken off to this day. So for many years ROMEO gave me good sex, great affairs and at least a 10 year relationship. Even today, ROMEO is my favorite chat.

Dirk

My MS Partner

I got to know my partner through GayRomeo and then a few days after the first meeting I ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I was afraid that Alex would leave me again, but he stayed and we've been an inseparable couple ever since. I am now in a wheelchair; he "went through" the whole career, still stands by me and gives me a lot of strength. He went through the whole career, and still stands by me.

Marc

The model

I am a photographer, an artist and specialize in nudes and still lifes. Because of this, I always looked for models through gayromeo... and found them. The best thing that happened to me with you guys is the fact that exactly 10 years ago I didn’t just find a great model. No, this model became a good friend in a short time. Not only that, he also became my muse and best friend. We have had an infinite number of wonderful moments, trips, shootings and much more together. In April of this year we celebrated our 10th anniversary. I thank you ! 1 year later I got to know a model again. this time from my city chemnitz. I was also able to do a lot of shootings with him and experience a lot. I’ve been friends with him for 9 years now. Many of my photos ended up in exhibitions or even found a buyer. All these memories can be seen on my website!

Ghanaian Hans

Hans and his one way ticket

GHANA, well-trained, muscular men, handsome, well equipped with strength and endurance. The decision came. I would fly to Africa and take a look at the great men up close. I made an appointment with some people and then it started, I flew to Ghana in 2015. My first thought was, oh dear where did you end up. Appointment number 1, right at the airport was a disappointment. The man of my dreams wasn't there to pick me up, he was a FAKE. But I didn’t give up. Plan B, I think even his muscles had muscles, I was treated very kindly but with the necessary dominance as a good top does. A great dear by day, a wild boar by night. Since then, it’s been 5 years with 3 meetings a year each. Then in 2020 we flew to South Africa. In South Africa after Muscle Man got on his knees and put a ring on my finger (that is the only time that a top should kneel in front of its bottom). Thanks to ROMEO, my dream man is still a muscleman. Don’t let yourself be dissuaded or let prosperity overtake you. So girls, do you want a real top with a real man loyal to you? Muscles, strength and endurance, take a handsome man from Ghana for me the JOURNEY was at that time. I found my pot of gold, and luck is waiting for you too, you just have to fly there! Let yourself be caught and held. Thank you Planetromeo - YOU brought us together.

Tommy

The Passion of Christ

14 years ago, I stumbled upon a hot Australian guy, long blonde hair and a calming mannerism. He kindly invited me to the church that week, saying he’s a singer and that he wants to perform a song for me. So I thought why not! I’ll just go and listen. Next thing, I’m in a huge church, listening to this guy sing The Passion of Christ in Latin, echoing from the walls of the church. An old lady felt so bad for me for being on my own that she offered me candy in the auditorium. I will never forget this beautiful singing voice.

Hans

Boot Yacht Club

I met a man at Gayromeo many years ago. We chatted for a long time, unfortunately he lived in Cologne and I in Frankfurt and despite months of chatting, we never got a date and at some point we lost sight of each other. After a few years this man saw me at the Frankfurt CSD and wrote to ROMEO the very next day. Meanwhile he also lived in Frankfurt, and so we arranged to meet for a concert at the Boot Yacht Club on the Main. We fell in love quickly and have been a couple for 13 years and happily married for 8 years.Thank you ROMEO and greetings from Frankfurt, Hans

Bert Adam (MotorPant)

Love goes through the heart, lust goes through the pants

Thirteen years ago I met my new love on GayRomeo. He was not so keen at first because he just got out of a short but wrong relationship. After a while we suggested another date and we never broke up again. But both still date, because love goes through the heart but lust through the pants and way too much fun to get to know people. So now I have been looking for a motorcycle buddy for 20 years, but he has yet to come! A lot of contact with bi kers, but a bit of a fast biker is still in the barrel! Although: I have an appointment in the near future with a fellow Ducatist (someone who also rides Ducati as a motorcycle) so who knows! Of course through you. So thank you for your unremitting efforts and beautiful platform!

Oliver Neuner

The bear Scene

I'm always talking about you guys from gayromeo, how it started. I ended up with my, now even husband, in Austria. And I actually got it through you. Not so directly, because I got to know him at one of the then legendary Mr. Bear Germany elections in Cologne in the Cologne-Mülheim city hall. I was still active with the “young bears”. I was standing there in a corner and a friend from Hanover (who used to be called "IhrMutter" with you and all the other royal or bearish portals) had his hand under my T-shirt in my fur. We always saw each other somewhere in the scene, even when he lived in Austria and I in Bielefeld. No wonder, because the bear scene was even smaller at the time. But still nothing came of it. I was on his profile and his status was single. This new status was followed by two years of long-distance relationship with almost gold status at AirBerlin (that no longer exists), a move from Mönchengladbach - where I now lived professionally and his marriage proposal after seven years of relationship. Without you I would never have seen that he was single. And as Wolfgang found out, I'm the very first contact he had in his contact list; they used to be listed that way, right? Maybe there is something for you and maybe you also have funny memories.

Heiner Rupp

War of the Roses

In 2001 I came out as gay after 2 marriages with women. After having sex with a man for the first time. During the War of the Roses with my 2nd wife, I registered with ROMEO and then met my friend, whom I have now had for 20 years. We've been together longer than I've been with my wives; I have 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren. Which I am very proud of.

Wolfgang

A fetish world

ROMEO not only helped me to get better acquainted with suitable contacts, but also opened up my fetish world to me. This has made me long-time friends and been able to build a community. Found a life partner, had a lot of fun. Finally also about the possibility of the groups, found the courage to really go public with a non-profit fetish association. Today I am active with my association all over Austria, advocating a better world for the LGBTIQ + community. Organize events and encourage the development of new fetishists, give them courage and create a safespace. Without you it might never have happened, or it might have been a lot harder, thank you!

Florian

Florian who found love

I made my first gay contacts through ROMEO, I met my first long-term boyfriend at a party. Unfortunately we failed to exchange contact details. Thanks to ROMEO, I was able to find him the next day. At that time he lived about 50km away. It sparked immediately and we spent the first night there together on an emergency mattress. A relationship full of love and joy developed very quickly from this. It only lasted 4 years - we were young and inexperienced - which I wouldn't want to miss. The world has changed in the last 20 years. We have changed, the scene has changed and ROMEO has changed too. I also got to know my current boyfriend, with whom I have been very happy for 3 years!

DietMar

AIDS

When I came to Gayromeo in 2001, it was a return to gay life (after all, I was no longer 'fresh meat'). In 1993 my husband, with whom I had been together for 10 years, died of AIDS. My first boyfriend died in 1990 (7 years of relationship, most recently a long-distance relationship in Paris). I then had a good time with a number of new contacts. In 2005 an old friend found me through Gayromeo who had lived in Leipzig for a few years and wanted to move back to Wuppertal. This turned into a relationship, and we got married in 2008 (also in church!). The marriage is still valid today, but now platonic and separated. I looked for other affected people through Gayromeo (an HIV + group). I had a date here in 2014, and sparks flew. I am now happily connected to this person of the heart. Thank you Gayromeo !!!

Arndt

Radio Tower Sex Party

Via ROMEO I was invited to a sex party near the radio tower. The apartment was large and also had a huge kitchen. Once I was visiting a guy and was lying on the kitchen block. A few weeks later, while watching TV with my parents, my father switched to a cooking show. My mother said spontaneously, what a beautiful kitchenette. The cake almost fell out of my mouth. Well, I found the kitchen rather uncomfortable. But this is my claim to fame.

Andreas

From Phone call to Husband

I met my husband through ROMEO. I was just out of a 5 year partnership, actually just wanted to have some fun. My husband wrote to me at the time. We got into writing, and would write for many hours. 3 months later we got married, in December it will be our 8th wedding anniversary. And for me he's the best thing that happened to me. He’s my partner, my best friend, my lover and colleague. I can no longer imagine a life without him.

Andreas Reich

Single Sunday’s

Hello Gay Romeo Team, Thanks to you, I met my husband here. About 18 years ago I was invited to a Sunday party, was single and had some fun on Sunday afternoons. There were already some horny guys there, only with me the spark didn't really jump over. Then the door opened and he came in tall, slim, dark hair and a mischievous smile on his lips. Wow, I could imagine more with him or at least take it home with me tonight. It was a nice party with nice conversations. The party came to an end and Holger, my current husband, wanted to know where a certain bank branch is, he wasn't from Munich. I knew and this was my chance. We drove to this bank and then he drove me home. In short, we smooched in the car and I invited him over to... He smiled and refused. We exchanged phone numbers and said goodbye. I was like “what the heck?” You know? Two hours later the phone rang, and he was on the other end. We talked most of the night and realized that we were a perfect match. In short we met again and soon after, he moved in with me. On 09/21/09 we were the first couple in the Pasing registry office to ‘make it official’.

Oliver

Male curiosity

Until around 21 years ago, I was only in straight relationships. Over a period of a year, I realized that I was attracted to a guy. It really took me a long time to understand my feelings. When I opened up to him, he was shocked and definitely not interested in me as a lover. Was it just that particular guy or was I suddenly more attracted to guys? In order to clarify this question, I registered with ROMEO. At that time on the desktop computer (there weren't any cell phones) and without a photo in the profile. After a while, a guy contacted me who also had no photo in his profile and we chatted for a period of several months WITHOUT even exchanging pictures or seeing each other. After about 3 months he asked if we should just meet, and we had a real blind date the following Sunday on a certain (very well-known) tree on the Elbe near a beer garden. We told each other what we were going to wear. I was so excited. I felt like I was 14 again. Unlike today, we didn’t have a phone, so we couldn’t just call or video. So I was there about an hour beforehand, wondering who he was, who it could be. Is he already there and watching me? At the agreed time he came up to me and we went to the nearby beer garden. From here on I'll keep it short: From that day we were a couple for 9 years. He was the first and only man for 9 years. Then I decided to move to Bangkok and everything changed suddenly (as those in the know can imagine without going into further detail). So thank you ROMEOs for these beautiful 9 years, which would not have been like this without you.

D_licious

The modem that stole my car

I have been using ROMEO from the first day. I don’t use it constantly, but I always come back for more. It was my first Gay dating App, and these days, sometimes the only way to get in touch with other Gays! I found love on ROMEO, we were together for 11 years but only broke up two years ago. Back in the day, the internet was so expensive with the old modem, I had to do something about it! Using ROMEO made my phone bill so high that I had to sell my car! You’re doing such a great job creating a community. Keep up the good work!

We are family

These stories have enlightened us with a vision of what ROMEO stands for; support and love, highs and lows, community and friendship and everything in between. We aren’t just a dating App, we are a global LGBT+ family, providing a safe, friendly online space for you to meet, hang out, chat and date.

We look forward to the next 20 years with you!

Team ROMEO

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