Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Close-mouthed Male Friend

I have a male friend that identifies as being bisexual (he has only told me this), however, he has been living with a male "roommate" for many years. I want to have a good friendship with him, but I feel as if he is not really bisexual, to me he is gay. I've told him on more than one occasion that his sexual preferences make no difference to me, I like him just as he is. I feel like I have shared so much of my own personal life with him, yet he is so closed with me. I haven't met any of his other friends, nor have I met his roommate. Basically, I feel like we are at a roadblock. If he cannot open up to me and share of himself, then maybe we shouldn't be friends? I am having a really hard time understanding him, and the last thing I want to see is the friendship to end. Is there something more I need to say or do to help him open up?

Thanks!
P.S.
We've been friends for over a year now.


You haven't identified yourself as male or female, gay or straight, but since you don't indicate any romantic feelings for the guy I guess it doesn't make any difference. It does seem odd that you say you've been friends with the man yet you've never met his roommate [who could be just a roommate and roommates aren't always friends, hence no introduction] or any of his other friends. It may be that he has a good time in your company and doesn't feel a need to bring in other people or the two of you may share interests that his other friends don't share.

As for whether he's bi or gay, many gay people identify as bi for a certain period in their lives, and this may be the case with him. Again, unless you are a woman with romantic feelings for the man, his true sexual orientation shouldn't be a problem.

It's true that part of friendship is sharing your personal feelings with one another, but some people are simply more private than others. You can't expect someone to open up to you if that's not their style just because you've opened up to them. You've told him you don't care about his preferences or personal life, so if he chooses not to go into them with more detail, that's his choice. If he always avoids giving answers to your questions, that's a sign that for some reason he's not comfortable talking about it with you or possibly with anyone.

You might casually ask if his roommate is actually his lover, and see what kind of reaction you get. Don't end the friendship if you enjoy his company; as time goes by he may open up to you much more.

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