i have a rather close friend who i really like :love::love::love:i am not sure of her sexual origin but she is always holding my hand and putting her arm around me so i think she might like me to :icon_bigg but i don't know how to ask her if she is gay or bi (i also live in a very homophobic area)
My advice to your situation would be to just directly ask her. By beating around the bush, you are just wasting time when you can just simply ask her. The worst she could say is that she isn't into you in that way, and the best could happen that you both actually really like each other. It is a risk either way, but, you shouldn't be scared to ask her. Maybe you should ask her in a private place, instead of around people you or she may know. She may not be out to everyone, so, I would suggest asking her in a more private place or environment.
If you're not fully confident in asking her face-to-face, why not bring up LGBT issues? See what her stance is? Maybe it'll come out that way, if she wants you to know but is too scared to say it. If she knows that you're gay as well, it's a good chance that if she's holding your hand and being very touchy-feely with you, she knows what's going on as well.
