Some recent Newcomers have shared their experiences of the group, and how it has helped them deal with the issues they faced.

John (not his real name):
"...I joined Newcomers after ending a relationship with my wife, who I had been married to for 5 years. I had no knowledge of my being gay until I experienced a very close encounter with another man - then I knew, and lots of thing fell into place for me. Newcomers has provided me with the opportunity to meet a number of gay men, and to share their stories. This process has helped me to understand what it is like to be gay, and also helped me to work through some of my practical issues with my former wife. I have been going to the group for about six months now, and have made good friends with a couple of the other members of the group..."

Craig (not his real name):
"...I joined Newcomers after having recently come out to my immediate family, and when I was wondering what to do next. After overcoming some initial trepidation, I quickly found support from a group of men who had been through similar experiences. What interested me most was how everyone in the group could identify with some part of my story, and I with some part of theirs. Attending Newcomers also enabled me to redefine certain events which had occurred in my life, and see how these had contributed to what had made me a gay man – joining dots to make connections which previously I had never known existed. I have been attending the group for over 12 months now, and over that time I have heard the same “stories” from the same men a number of times. What is interesting though is that I continue to take something new away from every meeting..."