Articles by Ryan O'Connell

Ryan O'Connell

Ryan O'Connell is a writer at Thought Catalog. He's also writing a book that will be out new year on Simon & Schuster. He likes shoegaze, boys, and figuring out why people are so fucking insane.

Really, Ryan?

Try Not to Destroy Your Life

A few months ago I tried molly for the first time in the bathroom of a bar in Brooklyn. I dissolved the powder in water, drank it, and waited till I felt different. A short while later, fireworks exploded all over my brain. Then, just like that, everything got worse and I found myself stranded in a bodega while the clerk called an ambulance. Full story

2013 Jun 17 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Casual Acquaintances?

Growing up, I thought that the definition of “friend” was pretty simple. It meant someone you shared common interests with, could sit with for prolonged moments of silence and not feel weird, and cared about in a way that wasn’t driven by ulterior motives. When I entered the post… Full story

2013 Jun 3 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

Gay Men and Their Not-So-Cute Misogyny Problem

What’s up with all the misogyny, gay dudes? Seriously. I’m not saying you have to staple a copy of 'Feminine Mystique' to your forehead while blasting Julie Ruin, but could some of you (emphasis on SOME) not have such thinly veiled contempt for women? Full story

2013 May 20 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

Hit Me Baby One More Time

Six years ago today, I was hit by a car while walking across the intersection of Sunset and Yorba in San Francisco. Since then, I’ve had six surgeries, one skin graft, a three-week hospital stay, four casts, approximately 6,000 painkillers, and a partridge in a pear tree. Full story

2013 May 6 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

Give All the Drugs to the Gay Boys

Here's something everybody should know about gay men: We like to disappear. We like to numb the feelings. We like to be anywhere that’s not here. We like to, quite simply, get messed up. And you know what? We’re damn good at it. Full story

2013 Apr 23 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

Stuff to Live For

Let’s just admit it: Life is fucking boring. Life is so monotonous and full of routine that it’s a wonder we all don’t just fall asleep whenever we look at ourselves in the mirror. The best we can hope for are those brief moments of clarity that snap us back into reality, like pu… Full story

2013 Apr 1 Ryan O'Connell NSFW

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Really, Ryan?

All the New Gay Boys

With the current generation of gay men, there’s a constant pull between the old queer landscape and the new. What it meant to be gay ten years ago when I came out of the closet is not what it means today. It seems like we’re all just trying to play catch-up and process the change… Full story

2013 Mar 18 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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Really, Ryan?

I Don't Like the Internet, I Just Work for It

In this first edition of his new column for us, Ryan O'Connell talks about the weirdness that comes with being a person who makes the internet on a daily basis. Full story

2013 Mar 4 Ryan O'Connell Stuff

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