Guy asked me out for a drink - He is gay, I'm not
...wow.
I'd expect that in a forum for autistic people there would be less of this "If a person does _________, then it has to mean ________" sort of thinking.
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"In my world it's a place of patterns and feel. In my world it's a haven for what is real. It's my world, nobody can steal it, but people like me, we live in the shadows." -Donna Williams
hartzofspace
Supporting Member
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,138
Location: On the Road Less Traveled
...wow.
I'd expect that in a forum for autistic people there would be less of this "If a person does _________, then it has to mean ________" sort of thinking.
I agree, wholeheartedly! In these forums, are many people on the spectrum, One of the most prevalent problems afflicting those of us on the spectrum, is both misunderstanding social intentions, and having our own social intentions be misunderstood. I have had countless incidents of wondering if someone was coming on to me, or having them not grasp my interest. The aspie's world is fraught with this type of thing. I think it is ridiculous to imply that Fernweh is afraid of being gay. It is not so straightforward as that. He is asking for help interpreting a social situation.
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Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner
But I'm sure nothing will come of it. If you don't fancy him, just say so.
Not all gay males go straight to that (no pun intended).
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Balance is needed within the universe, can be demonstrated in most/all concepts/things. Black/White, Good/Evil, etc.
All dependent upon your own perspective in your own form of existence, so trust your own gut and live the way YOU want/need to.
...wow.
I'd expect that in a forum for autistic people there would be less of this "If a person does _________, then it has to mean ________" sort of thinking.
I agree, wholeheartedly! In these forums, are many people on the spectrum, One of the most prevalent problems afflicting those of us on the spectrum, is both misunderstanding social intentions, and having our own social intentions be misunderstood. I have had countless incidents of wondering if someone was coming on to me, or having them not grasp my interest. The aspie's world is fraught with this type of thing. I think it is ridiculous to imply that Fernweh is afraid of being gay. It is not so straightforward as that. He is asking for help interpreting a social situation.
No. Sorry. Wrong. My line of thinking comes not from being on the spectrum, but from being a gay man. As a gay man, I know that if I ask a man out for a drink who happens to know that I am gay, I know that he will assume that it is not only for a drink. I mean, come on. When you are gay, you will understand.
Now, knowing that he thinks I will make passes at him, if he is torn about going out with me, then he is obviously questioning something. If he was unsure about my intentions and this bothered him, then he could easily just say "no, thank you. I'll be busy that night." This is called logic, with which Aspergians are very good and lay on top of this that I am, in fact, gay. So, on both accounts, I think I pretty much know what I'm talking about.
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"If you can't call someone else an idiot, then you are obviously not very good at what you do."
While they certainly meant nothing against me, I think they could have just not posted. This is hard enough for me, asking opinions of strangers on the internet, additionally the whole asperger's thing... I don't need them to make this extra hard. It's just that I strangely expected differently from people, you know, like me. I would love to take it easy or relax, when talking to other people in general really, but I don't have to tell you that it's not that easy, right?
to Friskeygirl:
what are you implying? I don't think I understand.
I was only kidding you into lightening up, so what if this guy is gay, sometimes going for a drink is just that.
Anyhow, I think its rather nice of him to ask you out, nothing wrong with two men out for an intimate time at
a lounge or night club
Anyhow, I think its rather nice of him to ask you out, nothing wrong with two men out for an intimate time at
a lounge or night club
Yeah, and (though this may sound like a stereotype) b/c gay men and straight women are supposed to have similar brain structure, you may be able to learn a thing or two about how to talk to or at least not piss off a woman from this guy . Seriously if anyone is interested in a relationship they might want to brush up on their conversation & "how to prevent yourself from coming off as a jerk" skills to prevent future blunders (make a nice, long mental list ). Friends can be really good for that .
_________________
Balance is needed within the universe, can be demonstrated in most/all concepts/things. Black/White, Good/Evil, etc.
All dependent upon your own perspective in your own form of existence, so trust your own gut and live the way YOU want/need to.
Go along with it...then when he's got you in the bedroom, before he makes his move, tell him your not gay. While he is surprised and disappointed, push him over and start blowing with your lips on his abdomen, and say, "I bet this is turning you on!"
Video tape it and put on youtube if possible.
Given that you're not sure if he's thinking drinks mean something else and can't pick up on the signals (and yeah, those of you making light aren't getting that part of the original question...simma down), it wouldn't hurt to mention that you're not interested when you accept the invitation. Otherwise, you're just going to stress about it and not have a good time at all, and he could be your new best friend, IRL.
I'm a straight gal, but I hang out with a lot of gay guys--we have a lot in common. I will often get an invitation to drinks, and usually if it's a new friend, they will make sure I get that it's a platonic thing--just so we don't have awkwardness later. So, the invitation will often be: how about drinks, I hesitate because I'm trying to figure out the subtext in the invite >.<, and he usually says, 'you know I'm gay, right?'. Funny thing is, I usually already get the gay part, that isn't why I'm hesitating. Still, it's not going to hurt his feelings if you clarify like that, 'Sure, drinks sound fun.' pause. 'You know I'm straight, right?'
From there he's either going to shrug it off, no big deal, or he might be puzzled...which gives you an opening to explain your Aspieness--so you don't have to stress about it the whole time. And...I hope you let us know what happens.
_________________
-Amy
without the dark of night we could not see the stars
hereirawr.wordpress.com <---shameless self-promo
I'm a straight gal, but I hang out with a lot of gay guys--we have a lot in common. I will often get an invitation to drinks, and usually if it's a new friend, they will make sure I get that it's a platonic thing--just so we don't have awkwardness later. So, the invitation will often be: how about drinks, I hesitate because I'm trying to figure out the subtext in the invite >.<, and he usually says, 'you know I'm gay, right?'. Funny thing is, I usually already get the gay part, that isn't why I'm hesitating. Still, it's not going to hurt his feelings if you clarify like that, 'Sure, drinks sound fun.' pause. 'You know I'm straight, right?'
From there he's either going to shrug it off, no big deal, or he might be puzzled...which gives you an opening to explain your Aspieness--so you don't have to stress about it the whole time. And...I hope you let us know what happens.
thank you pandorazmtbox, that was really helpful! I am relieved that you understood what I was asking, since I have a feeling not so many did until now. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, too!
So far, I declined the first invitation since I honestly couldn't make it, but suggested that the weekend might be possible and it's ok for him, too.
There have been a lot of different things said, and I honestly didn't fully understand every reasoning and I think there have been misunderstandings a lot, too, but almost all of this was helpful, at least to a degree. Thanks everyone for your effort.
And I'm afraid I am not witty enough to respond to the not so serious posts.
The bottom line is that if this guy believes that you are gay and you have not corrected his false assumption, then you are lying to him.
A sexual orientation is what we are born with, but lying about it is very bad. Generally, this argument is more directed at gays than straights. In the past, gays were forced into the closet and some even got married and had children. In most civilized parts of the world, this is no longer required.
So what I am saying is that it is just as wrong for a straight man to lead on a gay man as it is for a gay man to lead on a straight woman. In both cases, the net result is that somebody gets hurt and that is wrong.
I think the reason he posted here was he was trying to figure out if the guy was thinking he was gay or not. How can he consciously lie when he doesn't understand what the other guy expects?
_________________
-Amy
without the dark of night we could not see the stars
hereirawr.wordpress.com <---shameless self-promo
brownleefamily
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: 8 Nov 2009
Age: 53
Gender: Male
Posts: 25
Location: Nashville, TN.
I wouldn't worry about it, I think most gay people have a built in gaydar that guides them to the ripe fruit. If you want to hang out with this guy then I would go, and as soon as you get there point out the closest semi-attactive female and tell him about how you wish you had the nerve to ask her out. If he thought you were gay then this will correct him and avoid any future "situations" (unless he thinks your on the fence, so to speak).
I'm sorry, but you can't speak for all gay men, the same as I can't speak for all androgynous individuals, brunettes or people who like coffee. Being gay is completely unrelated to courtship strategies, the kind of relationship you seek, or really... anything, aside from the gender and/or sex of the person you care to sleep with.
I think the OP needs to think about it this way: if the asker were a woman he didn't want a relationship with (someone unattractive, personality-wise or physically, a friend's crush, et al) would he still go out for a drink with them? I think you could expect an honest answer if you reply to his email with, "Is this a date? Because if it is I can't attend, I'm heterosexual." So this is he-isn't he topic is essentially friluvous. The worst thing that could happen if you agree without asking is that he makes a pass at you, you inform him that you're not interested in men, and his feelings are hurt.
I am going to put aside my outrage at the juvenile stuff that's flying around this thread, and just answer the OP.
The simplest thing to do is to say to him, "I would like to have a drink with you, but you need to know that I am not gay." If he is interested in a friendship with you, then he will be grateful for clearing any misunderstandings. If he is attracted to you, he will be glad that you have not led him on.
For my part, I am gay, and I am perfectly capable of having a friendship with a man (gay or straight) that does not involve any sexual component.
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--James
Or just go out and have a good time. I think proper etiquette for the situation (which I gleaned from watching TV) is to enjoy yourself, and if he ends up romantically interested in you and asking to do things, or calling it a date, you pretend that it had never crossed your mind that he may be interested in you (or even gay), then be flattered, (to show he's not repulsive, and that you're not offended), and then you explain that you're not gay, but you'e having a wonderful time.
Or if want to go a little deeper, you could arrive a few minutes late, with an excuse such as "Sorry I'm late, my ex-girlfriend wouldn't get off the phone with me" which would introduce an opening to discuss sexuality for him, as well as adding an implication that you're straight. Sure, it's not good to be a liar, but it can make life a heck of a lot easier for us.
Or, you could just open with a brief story about how you got hit on by a guy on the way to your meeting but had to turn him down because your not gay. And if he knows you know he's gay, you can ask him what it is about yourself that makes gaydar ping you so often. This scenario will both let him know that you're not gay, you know he's gay, and you don't have issues with it. Then the rest of the night can be much more relaxed with both of you knowing theirs nothing sexual going on.
Gay guys OFTEN worry about how to tell people that they're gay. Even more often that they are romantically interested in someone. Just like we do about being on the Autistic Spectrum. Heck, he may quite possibly just want a bud to talk football to, and he has no romantic interest in you whatsoever.
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