As a gay person, how important is it for you....

My sexuality isn't the totality of my identity, so I don't find it hard to connect with straight people. Just statistically, the majority of my friends are straight and cis.

 

you don't really need to have too many of them. but if it's someone that you need to talk to LGBT issues about, there's always one that's willing to open their doors for ya.
for me personally, i only have a few of them in life and that's fine for me. i'm comfortable the way that i am.

 

I'm not going to be friends with a homophobe, obviously. That doesn't equate to not being able to be friends with any straight people, unless all straight people were homophobes, which they're not!

Do you really think it would be impossible for you to connect and be friends with a gay person?

 

For most of my life I had straight or then-closeted gay friends (I apparently had some knack for finding queer people before they or I came out). I didn't have any out gay friends until a few years ago.

Right now my two closest friends are both male, one gay, one straight. Overall though I probably interact more with my gay friends. This is part because I am not fully out, so I guess I am more comfortable being myself around them and letting them get closer to me. Also my gay best friend seems to have predominantly gay male friends, and I have inherited many of them.

However, I don not think it is important to have mostly gay friends, nor do I discriminate based on sexuality. It just happens to be where I am right now.

 

It is important for me to have friends. I usually do different things with my gay friends than with my straight friends, but mostly because they like different things. I don't treat any of them differently or try to keep them from meeting each other. They are friends first and gay second, as it should be.

Some of my friends are slightly homophobic; I keep working on their ignorance to help them understand the errors in their thinking. If anyone I meet is outright hostile, then "bye"; life is too short to tolerate jerks.

 

I don't have any gay friends, but it feels important to me to find some.

I disagree with the idea that you can't have such meaningful relationships with straight people...I don't think that's true. But, I find that my friends aren't that interested in helping me experience the gay community. If I want to go to specific LGBT venues or events I usually end up going on my own (or not going at all), and it's a bit lonely.

 

Not important at all.

 

I don't think sexuality actually makes two people that similar. All it means is that the two people happen to like the same sex. There are more important things to relate to people by.

 

It's not as important although having that support network is good to have.
The way I see it is if they don't give a damn about who you like or what you are and is interesting- then heck, let's chat comrade!

 

Not important because I love my friends for who they are and not for they sexuality.

 

Somewhat important but not extremely important. I don't have any lesbian friends just because I don't know any personally yet. Most of my friends are straight, a few bi men and women, and a few gay men. Each friendship is invaluable to me in a unique way. Every one of my friends, no matter what their orientation, has something in common with me and somethings not in common (which makes for good conversation). How boring would life be if everyone was the same or only associated with people like them? That being said, I am beyond happy that I reconnnected with a bi girl. I do wish I had more bi friends. It is nice to have people in your life who understand you. And I feel like when I am dealing with issues that are related to my sexuality, no one truly 100 gets me like another bi person. So I guess I think it is important to have a variety of friends.

 

I believe that it's good to have a balance, but since I've been recently out I actually want to meet gay freinds, since I only have about two. I'm getting a bit bored going out with most of my straight friends because they always want to go to straight based places, especially bars and clubs. Unless I have a boyfriend, it's really boring for me considering I've been going to straight clubs all my life, and after going to a gay club last weekend... there is no way I'm going to a boring straight club again! Also, it would be nice to meet more gay friends, because perhaps then I actually have a shot at dating which is what I want.

I do enjoy having straight friends, but I guess I'm a bit bored... it sounds awful, but I'm at a point in my life where I'd really like to explore other territories and I feel like some of my friends are holding me back.

Now I do have some really great straight friends, the ones that are more open and truly supportive of my sexuality, those are the ones that I would love to stick around with me - you know the ones that would actually go to a gay bar with me!

 

No! Most of my friends are straight.

Honestly I have zero gay friends...I'd like that to change though as it can feel so lonely sometimes

A good balance would be ideal!

 

I like a diverse assortment of individuals, around me. This provides me different insights, unique experiences, and a plethora of expertise or talent, to draw from or upon. I find life becomes a little more interesting, and a little more progressive, when you can balance differences.

If we're too similar, then there is the potential of running into roadblocks. If we think too alike, or feel too akin, we may not be able to resolve an issue. So long as we have a common respect at the core of said friendship, that is all that really matters to me. But then again, most of the people in my life, tend to be respectful associates. I'd dare say, only two or three people fit the criteria of a friend, and even then, to varying degrees.

So, no, this isn't important when it comes to sexuality. It's more about mentality.

 

I have a few gay friends Being honest it's them who I turn to when am struggling & down in the dumps defiantly more understanding . I do have straight friends to they know am gay most of the time there not bothered ,

 

I couldn't care less.

 

This is the boat I'm in too.

All of my friends are straight, which isn't a problem but my transition from being in denial to being closeted (where I am now) to eventually being out is quite a lonely one so far. :icon_sad:

 

It doesn't matter at all if my friends aren't gay, it just matters that they respect me and people like me. The last close friend I had actually had the same sexual orientation as me, but we didn't do anything different than if she was straight.

 

I connect with straight people a hell of a lot more than your average superficial moronic gay dude.

Gay people are generally jokes to me, at least the obvious ones. The majority have had the most non- attractive personalities.

So I don't have any gay friends.

Even my supervisor at work is gay, and I basically loathe him. As a human.

But gay girls, for some reason, every single one I've met has been pretty awesome. I almost wish I had lesbian friends because I get along with them usually so well. And they like girls and are girls, so that couldn't be farther away from relatable to me.

But they breathe, eat and sleep, and think, that's all I need for a connection.