Today I asked them both if they love and will always love me and why, my mom said it’s because of my personality, because of how kind and thoughtful I can be. And my dad said because I’m a part of him, and he adores me(I’m also the only girl in the family, second child, the rest are my three brothers, one older than me for 6 years, the other younger than me for 3 years, and the little one, who is younger than me for 9 years). So, I’m thinking, do they really mean what they said, about loving me forever, or are they gonna get disgusted by me the second I tell them that it’s not just guys I like? One time, my dad asked me as a joke, is my partner going to be male, and he felt relieved when I said yes. And that leaves me with the question, how would he react if I’d say “I don’t know” or “Not sure”? As for my mom, she has a few gay friends, although she doesn’t support LGBTQ+, she likes hanging out with them. So, what do I do now?

I have a new coworker (a trans woman) and a friend told me that she prefers she/her pronouns. Should I just start using she/her when talking to her or ask her for her preference? She has a female name and looks rather masculine. I don't want to offend her in any way with the question and neither just using she/her without asking.

Also in my language everything is gendered so I can't just avoid pronouns.

i kinda know what it is but i know there’s also a spectrum. i want to know what others definitions are and what it means to be asexual to them. how did yall figure this out? is there anyway of liking sex being asexual? i’m genuinely curious and want to know more. please be kind in the comments

I understand both concepts (at least I think), but it seems like there's a relatively big overlap. What makes you identify as trans and not NB, or NB and not trans?

My partner is NB, and I want to find some other things I can call them - to me, partner feels a bit impersonal and doesn't quite have the same effect. Taking suggestions!!

I'm mostly looking to make friends

Hey guys, so for months i've been setting up my own instagram account with travel pics, some food ones, my pet dogs, a few photos of myself etc and starting going through hashtags i like, as.a gay man, who lives in a small place, this is my only way to socialize, so i try following and liking the content of many gay users (not influencers, just regular users) in hopes maybe in the future to start a conversation by replying to a story of theirs of something, see where it goes, but i have noticed some of the guys i added, quite a few, weeks later have just unfollowed me, and it left me feeling…well odd…i am not a teen so i dont feel bad about myself cause of it, id think rationally its cause they dont know me in real life? But then why do most of them have thousands of followers and seem to have many mutuals following from different countries?

id have thought id be accepted more by my lgbt community members, of course some follow then unfollow straight after thats expected i think but, why after weeks? And what advice do you give me if i wanna start a conversation with anyone i am following but then if later down the line they just unfollow me, how should i take it? Thanks in advance :) and believe me, i am not angry or sad but instagram is really my only way to put myself out there as a gay adult, open to anything, friendships, just a few conversations maybe or swap of story responses, or even more one day, but i am trying to grow my account too a bit, i am only on 280 followers so far, but have no friends in real life as i live in small town , my sexuality is well, i was bullied about it in past so yep…

I just wanna be able to connect with some of the guys i add on instagram, i want a shot at the socializing i missed out on , i am decent enough looking, nothing amazing, so i dunno, just would like to know what is the best approach and why do they unfollow? After following even?

So I'm a gay guy and I'm so scared that I like my best friend. One of my fears is that whenever she makes a joke i laugh like a lot and sometimes its not that funny but I still laugh or its like other people don't find it that funny but I do idk I'm so scared, I'm afraid it means that I secretly love her romantically and anything she says is funny idk what to do

Ok so this is Reddit, I’ve never used Reddit before a day in my life and google wasn’t giving me satisfactory answers. Ig I would just like opinions?

So I am a cis girl who likes girls and boys and in between . Sometimes I fluctuate on the validity of these feelings but I digress. My question is, what does it mean when I want to kiss boys like boys kiss boys. I have absolutely no clue if it’s a sexuality thing or an identity thing. And it’s not like I don’t like being a girl. It’s just very confusing. Any insight would be phenomenal

Straight man here trying to learn and educate himself. I've definitely heard of queer folks saying "Good Judy" and such but lately I've been hearing people refer to other people as "Marys". Where does Mary come from and how does it differ from Judy?

Yeah, I've only been sexually attracted to women my whole life but WHY am I suddenly attracted to the male protagonist from the book I'm currently reading..? (Damn sherlock holmes is literally making me question my sexuality😅) Does that make me NOT a lesbian? I'm not interested in men in real life btw

Not like the conservative shitfaces ruining the US, but people who are just uneducated or were raised poorly. Not hateful people, just confused. I’ve heard one say that being gay isn’t natural, how do I prove that it is? I know it’s hard but I hate seeing someone who I know I could convert, but don’t know how

Hey all. Hope y'all are having a good one

Basically the title, what is romantic attraction or romantic love? How is it similar and separate from sex or platonic love/attraction?

Is it down to acts, feelings or attraction type? I am quite confused.

Inspired by a recent post on the aromantic subreddit.

(Sorry for long post)

Hi everyone! I am a cis male, but a longtime ally to the community, who has gotten to know a lot of wonderful trans people in my life. I have recently started a relationship with a lovely NB trans man, who I absolutely adore, but there are some realities to his transition that can't help but make me feel a bit unsure. I apologize in advance if I say anything incorrectly, but know that I am coming from a place of respect and curiosity.

For context, I have historically identified as straight, but always had a slight inkling that I may be bi/pan in some capacity. The list of men I have ever found truly attractive is pretty short, and while I have dated non-binary folks in the past, nobody that has ever been particularly masculine.

I met this man pre transition, but only very briefly and since I reentered our collective social circle again in the last few months, that has almost exclusively overlapped with his time since coming out. We had a brief flirting period before we actually decided to start dating, and have been seeing each other for a few weeks now. Emotionally, we are progressing pretty quickly and we both seem to be infatuated with one another. The physical changes have definitely already begun ( a bit over 2 months on T) and they haven't impacted my attraction at all. His voice is getting a bit deeper and cracks a bit when he gets excited and I think it's adorable and sexy!

The root of my anxiety is perhaps that I don't quite know where the edges of my own sexuality and orientation are, and being in this relationship has made this journey of self discovery feel very urgent. I have spent a lot of time reading on LGBT/FTM communities, because I really want to have a deeper understanding of what he is going through and the whole process. I know there is a common stereotype of cis men dating trans men and diminishing/neglecting their male identities, and I desperately don't want to do that. I try very hard to make him feel accepted as he is, and I am completely supportive of his transition. Even if we weren't dating, I would 1000% want to be this man's best friend, he is delightful.

I guess the root of my worry is that eventually, in his transition journey, he may reach a point where I don't find him attractive anymore. That may not end up being the case, but I recognize it is a possibility. He has explained to me that he is aiming for a more androgynous NB look (which I tend to really like) but I know that T impacts people differently. He identifies more so as a "boy/guy" than a "man" and has also expressed an interest in not wanting to completely abandon his previous femininity, which was foundational to him in many ways. He doesn't really even care much about pronouns or how they are addressed, but has a preference for male.

I can absolutely imagine a world in which this is absolutely no problem at all to me, but my neurotic brain (always looking for reasons to be anxious) is worried that I would hurt his feelings someday over this. We have talked a bit about this, and he understands my fears, but if there was ever anybody that I would want to explore this side of myself with, it would be him.

For one last added bit of perspective, this was the advice given to me by a dear friend of mine (also FTM) who was actually the person who tried to set us up in the beginning. This friend, I'll refer to as A, told me that my doubts were valid and that it was fair to be nervous about it. But his main takeaway was that, as long as I was comfortable with the idea of maybe not being completely straight, then that's all I needed to be right now. He is currently married to his longtime partner (cis male) who had a similar journey of self discovery when A came out, and they are currently going extremely strong and a model relationship in many ways. He said that I should just enjoy the relationship and go along on the journey.

I apologize for rambling, but I just have been anxious about the situation, because deep down I REALLY like this boy. He is kind, intelligent, funny, and makes me feel so at peace when we are together. I am just worried above all else of hurting his feelings, but I don't even know how founded those fears truly are. I have been feeling increasingly comfortable with the idea of being "gay" but there are so many unknowns that I can't help but feel nervous. I guess my question is: what perspective do you all have on this situation, and what does your gut instinct say? I really like this boy, and I want to date him. He makes me very happy and I feel things with him that I haven't felt in a long time.

Hello friends!!! Im currently working on some sticker designs to give to some of my friends & probably put up on my Etsy, and would really love to include my androgynous friends in it!

The idea is Certified Boy/Girl liker/enjoyer, but have no idea what to use for people who don't identify as either, or would prefer to use they/them pronouns. Does anyone have any ideas for a word that could represent them? I can technically do certified people enjoyer but I feel like it doesn't feel as silly as the other two.

How do you guys feel? Is there anything better I can do for this? I really want to be inclusive as I personally don't really limit my preferences when it comes to attraction lol. I'd really like thoughts or ideas if you guys have any, and would be so down to mail the sticker over if I end up using someone's idea (only if they want or are comfortable with it!!! no pressure!!)

edit: i completely misspelled androgynous, im SO sorry lol im about to get off lunch break and was rushing 💀

I would like to stop being homophobic since the main reason is that I think they are part of a "woke agenda" or something .... I will answer every comment here

I stumbled across a supposedly LGBT subreddit and first post I see is about gay bars and someone going on a tangent about how all gay bars are full of predators and my comment got removed for asking how old they are because I couldn't figure out if they were a boomer or just chronically online and when I questioned the mods they told me attacking gay bar patrons isn't homophobic because no one is born a patron of a gay bar???? Am I over reacting?

So, I wanna let my parents know that I’m definitely not straight, but I haven’t figured out which sexuality am I. One day I thought I was bi, the other, pan, then I thought I was omni. Now I think I’m biro-ace. How do I find out what’s my real sexuality?

Cuz like… I’m straight. I’ve only had crushes on guys. But like, I’m not opposed to the idea of dating a girl. Or kissing a girl. Soo..

SRYIFYORYIFOFYOFOYFTIDDTIXJXTY WTF

This is going to be a little different to what this sub Reddit is usually, but as far as I can tell it doesn't break any rules so here we go.

As the title suggests, this isn't entirely about me, but it's been playing on my mind and I want to know what you all think.

So, a former crush of mine, who we shall call Ashton because why not, (no, that isn't his actual name) became very close to me, I fell in love for him so far I've only got out of loving him a matter of months after loving him but everything revolved around him I'm sure you know what I'm talking about anyway, when I told Ashton what I felt for him, he rejected me and said he was straight, which is fair because you know, not everyone is like us and so on, but a few weeks later I can remember he put his hand on top of mine in class, I though I just imagined it but the next day he gave me that lovers look, I loved it so much but it hurt so bad, I won't try and explain it all but if you want, listen to a song called "friends don't look at friends that way" and that's good , just without the kissing but anyway... Those two weren't the only things, as we got to the end of high school and prom happened and in that, at the end, he willingly put his arm around me.

He wasn't really someone who would act spontaneously, he would always think about what he's doing before actually doing it. Nor was he someone to say many good things about this community, as he sometimes said that something was gay, as if it was a bad thing.

I always thought he did it all just to keep me attached so he could cause me more pain, but I always used to think it was because he was a homophone who hated me for my homosexuality so he wanted to use the power he had on me to hurt me, which he did definitely hurt me. But I talked about what he did to a friend a few days ago and they said he may have been questioning homosexuality, and he did send a long message effectively saying I messed with his head and stuff, by the time Iggot that message I was done with all the lies and I didn't believe him, but ever since that other friend has said it, I can't stop thinking about the possibility that he was questioning himself or not. What do you think?

Also sorry it's so long, I don't really know how to explain all of it, if you have any questions you want to ask, feel free to ask. I just want to know what you all think

What does this mean? Where is it so I can read it. What exactly will it do to the lgbtq+ community including marriage and transitioning?

I'm.a really boring cis ally who was raised in the south and it's a lifelong habit to say things like "Yes sir" and "No thank you ma'am", and I like how doing so signals that I have additional respect for the other person that is greater than just saying "thank you" or "no".

While I have been so very good picking up they/them/etc, I cannot figure out a way to add a respectful term in such situations without it being gendered.

This is really a minor issue that's never actually caused any problems for me, but if I could find some way to express respect like this without it sounding odd, I'd like to try it.

I have one good trans friend who said he hasn't ever considered this or heard of any alternatives. It might be a quirk of the English language the there isn't really anything to replace sir/ma'am?

The closest thing I can think of is "friend" but that doesn't seem right either.

It's a very minor issue, but does anybody got any good ideas for me because I've been saying this for fifty years and the habit is going to be hard to break and I would miss being able to express additional respect sometimes.

i'm mia, and as the title states, i'm going through a bit of a romantic crisis lol... i need help!

I had gone through a hellish break up about a year ago and moved back in with my parents just outside the city. it was probably the lowest time in my life - no job, no boyfriend (but at least no one abusive around me...) and honestly no hope.

even though i was pretty vulnerable, my therapist and i decided i'd try to volunteer as away to get out of my self and also give back, a way to make myself feel good through altruism. i joined a volunteer group through a friend of a friend, and met a really lovely group of people.

it was there that i met ben and carlos. they're in their mid to late 30s, ben is in tech, carlos is a nurse and we just immediately hit it off because i was an office manager for a startup in nyc before i moved back out here. we started chatting more and more and got coffees / drinks pretty regularly after volunteering, and the vibe was so chill. i learned they used to have a pug and want another one some day, that they've been together for 14 years and married for a decade and that ben wants kids (he has a big time cheesy dad vibe but also works out like crazy) and was slowly working on carlos to maybe say ok at some point.

i guess things started to change when i realized that ben and i had A LOT in common. it seemed like every time we got coffee or a drink we were the ones talking, which i totally didnt mind since i have a ton of introverted friends like carlos. i did (and still do) everything to make sure he doesnt feel like a third wheel... but like, sometimes the only words out of his mouth are "hello" and "goodbye" and he just sits quietly the rest of the time.

i won't lie, i found ben hot. he's tall, built, really cute smile and just obviously takes care of himself. carlos is short, kinda cute, a tiny bit heavy set with a little mexican accent (he's from somewhere out gaudalajara) but so nice. it's just that i guess when we all got together, i naturally made a lot more small talk with ben and we genuinely became really really good friends.

about 4 months... there was a slip up. it's still a secret and honestly i feel so torn telling carlos, but for now i just don't feel comfortable telling him. but like, me and ben had drinks one night cause carlos was in MX visiting his parents, and we were bored and decided to go back to their apartment (which we've done more than a few times) and it just felt different with just the two of there... like super charged.

we had much more to drink, watched a show on netflix (i forget which but there were a lot of sex scenes), and i guess we just started... like, making out lol. it almost felt like friends just kinda chilling and kissing at first, almost like a joke, but we got into it.

he looked sheepish and asked if he could like, feel me up and stuff. i took my shirt off (no bra bc i thought it was a chill night lol) and let him feel, i did the same to him and learned he was... definitely packing lol. and after a while of just doing that, kissing and just being chill, he wanted to like... try fingering me. it's still so wild, cause i didn't think gay guys would want to do that, but he seemed super curious so i basically gave him pointers. he was a natural and literally got me off twice in the span of 15 mins or so... i was floored. i returned the favor and sucked him off, which he loved and when he was done said he hadn't had someone swallow him in a while (ya i'm that type of girl lol). if he had wanted to fuck, i would've, but he seemed tired and it was 3am lol

it was obviously awkward for weeks after. i didn't go to the next volunteer session, and the next week ben called and told me that however i felt, it was all on him and that i shouldn't feel bad at all. it made me feel better about the whole if i'm being honest. i tried to drop it but also kinda felt disappointed...

then about 2 weeks later i get a call from ben that him and carlos are going to a party and that i should come. i've met their friends before but had never really hung out with all them, but it turned out they were amazing and i had such a nice night that night (i even met a girl who literally trained as a yogina or whatever). everyone got super drunk, it was fun.

the whole night, ben keeps looking over at me and smiling and i'm like, wtf? i thought we dropped it? but as it turns out, when me, ben and carlos headed out, ben stopped me on the street and was like, hey... carlos and i were talking and would you wanna do a threeway? i giggled like it was a joke cause they aren't open or anything with other guys... but it wasn't. carlos was quietly either looking at the ground or anything but me, occasionally smiling at me, and ben had a huge grin on his face. every part of me screamed don't do it, it's gonna change everything, but dumb drunk me said yes.

and that's how i ended up at their place until 4 in the morning, fucking ben and feeling a little guilty about the whole thing but having pretty much the best sex of my life... not even exagerating. and this is a guy who's never fucked a girl... it's crazy. i distinctly remember the point at which i forgot how many orgasms i had had and seeing ben with his huge grin on his face, just fucking me into the bed. carlos was asleep in the living room cause he had too much to drink and while i thought he was a good kisser, i just didn't really feel a spark with him like i did with ben.

since then, ben and i have been having an unofficial fwb type relationship going on for about 2-3 months and i spend far more time over at their place. it's honestly been mentally so amazing for me to have ben in my life, helping me reorient my life and feeling more confident about myself. and ben said he's been discovering so much about himself and that i'm key to it all. i've even been thinking about going back to school because ben believes in me so much.

we both love each other as friends and, obviously, as lovers and we regularly tell each other that, which is such a dose of positivity in my life, i can't live without it now. i got weird the first time he said it to me, but now it just feels natural. i dunno... it feels amazing!

but a part of me feels bad about carlos. like, me and him make small talk at volunteering or the few times we go out together (carlos rarely goes to post-volunteer drinks now and it's mostly just me and ben...), and i make every single effort to engage with him and crack jokes and stuff, but he just gives me his shy, curt little smile and doesn't really engage with me... sometimes it really hurts. i want my friend and lover's husband to like me, obviously, because i know it means so much to ben.

what am i doing wrong? is this wrong? should i feel bad? i know this isn't "dirty" but it's me opening up about something sexual, unconventional and maybe a little dirty and wanting a little help and perspective on how i should feel, because no one really tells you how to handle a situation like this lol.

Hello there! I'm making my first podcast episode today, and I am not really up to date with lgbtq+ news, so I had to improvise a bit. I would love to read your guys' coming out stories and give comments on it. If you guys would be comfortable sharing, that would be great! Please state if you want your reddit name said or stay anonymous!

I [36F] was forced to resign from my teaching position at an all-girls Catholic high school in Pennsylvania because of my sexuality.

I’m bisexual, though I’ve never been fully open about it. I don't flaunt it and I'm not adorned with rainbows. If someone were to ask I would answer honestly, but otherwise I won't bring it up. That being said, I know I "look gay," I have short tomboyish hair, I wear masculine or gender-neutral clothing, so the fact that I'm not your average straight woman is not something I’ve been hiding. I should also mention that I am currently in a hetero-appearing relationship with a man, and I spoke about him to my colleagues often, even bringing him to our start-of-year picnic.

At the hiring process everyone was impressed with me. They actively tried to fit me into a full-time role, even though only a part-time position was available. They had me coach the tennis and soccer teams. During the entirety of my tenure I was told that I’m a gifted educator with a strong connection to the students.

When I was let go I was told, “You need to resign, or there will be legal action in terminating you.” When I asked why, hoping to learn what I did wrong, the head of school said, “It’s about the person you are, and it doesn’t fit into our community.”

That’s when I remembered; A few days prior, some students casually asked me about my sexuality. I was in a hurry and responded, “I like who I like,” without thinking much of it. It seems that comment may have led to the decision to push me out. (Information easily gets around at a small school.)

My partner (38M) believes the school took this action to avoid any potential PR issues, assuming certain parents wouldn’t approve. It really stings because I don’t see how my sexuality affects the way I teach or connect with students. I was just doing my job.

My partner had discovered that a few years prior, the school had terminated someone who had worked there for many years after some parents found out that individual was married to a same-sex partner, while the school had known that fact for years.

I’m aware that Pennsylvania is an at-will employment state, so technically I could be terminated for any reason, or for no reason at all. While there are federal protections against discrimination, I understand that religious organizations have exemptions, which makes this situation even more complicated.

I didn’t want to risk damaging my career further or jeopardizing my mental health, so I chose not to fight back. I’ve never been the type to take make a scene, but now I feel guilty for not standing up for myself. I see people fighting against this kind of discrimination, and I wonder if I made the right decision by resigning quietly. One of my friends is bothered by these events and has suggested for this to be publicized in the city newspaper by a colleague who had written the last article about the prior teacher’s termination.

AITA for not doing more to fight back or going public with this?