In this article, we will try to explain the words like bromosexual and bromance and compare them to other terms like homosexuality. Ultimately, we will try to summon the main reasons behind the emerging bromosexual friendships in the last decade.
Introduction
For a long, friendships between gay and straight men – so-called “bromosexual” friendships – were unusual. Firstly, because of homophobia. Secondly, for a long, straight men presumably assumed they didn’t have much in common with gay men.
But lately, “bromosexual” friendships have received more attention. They’re being explored and depicted in movies, books, and blogs more and more.
So, while we all know the term homosexuality, many of us are unsure what bromosexuality means. That’s why we looked it up in the world dictionaries, and here are their definitions.
Bromosexual – noting or relating to a tight but nonsexual friendship between two men, typically a heterosexual man and a gay man.
Bromance is – a close friendship between two men that does not involve sex.
A bromosexual friendship is a nonsexual friendship between two men, where generally, one friend is gay (or bisexual), and the other is straight.
Note: if you want to learn more about sexuality and the types of sexuality, we recommend reading our related articles about Sexual orientation and Sexual Spectrum.
Breaking the barriers
There were always friendships between gay and straight men. However, there have also always been obstacles to their formation. Namely, many straight men hesitated to befriend gay men, fearing harassment, rejection from their straight friends, or even worse – being called gay.
However, the growing acceptance of homosexuality has eased some of these fears.
There are still obstacles. Gay men – notably those in traditional environments – remain doubtful about trying to befriend straight men, fearing rejection. At the same time, many straight men still doubt that they’ll be able to relate to gay men meaningfully. For this reason, they may not try to create a friendship.
Of course, the orthodox concept that gay and straight men cannot be close friends is homophobic and untrue. We think that gay-straight male friendships are not only possible but can also grow to be incredibly rewarding. So that’s why we decided to write about those relationships, their meaning, and how they are formed.
Your perfect wingman?
Because straight women trust gays very much, gay men are suitable to be perfect “wing men” for single straight men.
There’s a general impression that men — regardless of their sexual orientation — are more sexually promiscuous than women. Because of this, women are often skeptical of their wooers’ true intentions.
The increasing popularity of dating websites and apps (which are teeming with unwanted sexual advances from “nice guys”) has made women more suspicious – and has made it much harder for men genuinely seek long-term relationships.
Nevertheless, straight women tend to trust gay men’s dating advice (significantly more than advice from straight men or women). Thus, straight men could get help by becoming close friends with gays. For example, a gay friend could vouch for his straight friend’s good intentions toward women. A straight-wing man wouldn’t be able to perform this tactic as successfully because the woman might be skeptical of the straight-wing man’s intentions – which could be to woo the woman for himself.
Straight men comfortable with their sexuality may act as wingmen for gay male friends. Just as a gay man might pass on advice about women to his straight friend, a straight man could connect his gay male friend with another desirable gay man since neither the gay man nor his straight friend is competing for the same person.
New grounds for friendship
In some ways, the duty is on straight men regarding “bromosexual” friendships. So, if they’re open-minded about befriending gay men and make an effort to try to forge friendships based on shared interests, gay men will feel more comfortable too.
So, which straight men are the most likely to befriend gay men or vice versa? And what determines whether these friendships flourish?
Firstly, the timing of forming these friendships is essential. The fact is that gay men are now coming out at an earlier age. Consequently, gay men who reveal their sexual orientation to their straight male friends earlier in life may be able to build open and honest friendships with them into adulthood.
Second, current research has claimed that gender and sexual orientation might not be as black and white as previously thought, which opens up new routes for exploring how gay and straight men can relate to one another. Suppose a straight guy and his gay male friend are less rigid about masculinity and sexuality. In that case, they’ll probably be more likely to discuss details about their sexual and romantic lives openly.
These discussions are critical because they normalize same-gender attraction. Friendships also strengthen when each side reveals personal information, including discussing sexual experiences.
Thirdly, another factor that could boost “bromosexual” fellowships: is the capacity to give and receive advice from one another. Recent research has shown that advice sharing could be an important reason that straight women desire gay men as friends. In brief, women can trust dating advice from gay male friends because they know their gay friends don’t have any hidden motives: They’re not trying to hook up with them or compete with them for guys.
We believe sharing unbiased advice might also enable friendships between gay and straight men.
The conclusion of the article about the difference between homosexual and bromosexual
As a part of the LGBT community, we are interested in why gay men and straight men become friends (or remain friends after the gay friend comes out). So, have you ever been in a bromosexual relationship? And if so, what do you think the reason behind it was?
Note: If you are interested in similar articles, we recommend visiting our sites, Charming LGBT+ or Gaytopia.
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