The rise of the 'bromosexual': Researchers reveal the rise in straight and gay friendships – and say they could be the ultimate ‘wing men’ for each other
Gay men who disclose their sexual orientation to their straight male friends earlier in life may be able to build more open and honest friendships with them into adulthood.
Second, recent research has argued that gender and sexual orientation might not be as black and white as previously thought, which opens up new avenues for exploring how gay and straight men can relate to one another.
If a straight guy and his gay male friend are less rigid about their masculinity and sexuality, they'll probably be more likely to discuss details about their sexual and romantic lives openly with one another.
These discussions are particularly important because they normalize same-gender attraction.
Because of the trust they engender from straight women, gay men are uniquely positioned to be excellent 'wing men' for single straight men.
Accordingly, straight men could get a leg up in dating from becoming close friends with gay men.
For example, a gay friend could vouch for his straight friend's good intentions to 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 own intentions – which could be to woo the woman for himself.
Straight men who are comfortable with their sexuality may also act as wing men for gay male friends.
Just as a gay man might be able to 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 are competing for the same person.
OT: As a straight guy, the people I know that you would think should be intolerable (read: frat guys) are becoming better and better to gay guys to the point where you see a lot of these "bromosexual" friendships
