The Advocate poll.

Q: Have you ever
stuck with a partner
because reentering the
dating scene was just too
scary?

no                         56%
yes                        39%
unsure                      5%

Note: table made from pie chart.

How readers responded to the Advocate.com poll question featured in the November 21 issue of The Advocate

* "You just never know what is out there. And the older you get, the less likely someone will want to date you. So, bad companionship is better than nothing."

* "Sure, the dating scene is scary, but I'd rather be alone and miserable than have someone making me miserable."

* "I know, it's pathetic, but yes. Guilty as charged. It's just that it was so incredibly difficult to find her in the first instance. The prospect of starting over again was overwhelming, and there was no guarantee I'd meet anyone."

* "If it's over, it's over. And I don't see being single as such a bad thing--just because you're ending a relationship doesn't mean you have to start dating immediately again."

* "Maybe it's healthier to find a new relationship than stay in an old one. But if you take the dive, you set yourself up for the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of going into the dating scene."

* "Worse--I've stayed single because of the scary dating scene. Just too awful out there."

* "If you 'settle,' then you deserve what you get."