• exhibit_c said on Jul 31, 2007....

  1. Men and women can absolutely be just friends, as can man/man or woman/woman. If either party is married, the friendship must be completely open - no secrets - and  it's a big help if the spouse is equally friendly.

• uniquely-ironic said on Jul 31, 2007....

  1.T
  2.F
  3.F
  4.F
  5.F
  6.F
  7.F
  8.F
   
  I think you give too little credit to people if you believe that the only type of relationship possible between the sexes is one of a sexual nature.  There are a lot of relationships that go that way, but that is probably due more to social conditioning than anything else.
   

• LloydTheBarber said on Jul 31, 2007....

  I believe that men and women can most certainly be friends...as long as neither one of them finds the other one attractive. My friendships with attractive women have always ended after i tried to "come on" to them, and my friendships with women that werent quite as attractive have always gone south after they "came on" to me...Honestly, im 32 now and find it very easy to maintain opposite sex friendships. It was a much different story at 22 though. Some might call it maturity, i call it a diminished sex drive...

• SouthernVixen79 said on Aug 01, 2007....

  Men and women most certainly can be "just" friends.  Why not?!!  I personally find it easier at times to talk to my guy friends than my girl friends.  As a women, I sometimes find it nice to get a man's point of view on things in life.  Sometimes when women get together our opinions and personalities get all mixed together and we are not as objective about things as we should be.
  Yes, there is the possibility that a man and woman who are friends could start to feel stronger feelings about each other, but that is where self-control comes into play.  You have the choice to allow it or to follow it.  But there is the possibility that a good friendship could be ruined. 
  Go ahead, make friends of both sexes - variety is the spice of life!!!!

• PassionTraveler said on Aug 01, 2007....

  ExhibitC: I very much agree with that. Nothing good ever comes from secrets of that nature.
  
  UI: I also agree that any answer but true for #1 is unacceptable in my book.
  
  Lloyd: Tsk Tsk, 32 and slowing libido already? Just kidding. I do agree that this issue is largely an age-related response. The date who made issue of my "many" male friends was 27. His response to my saying I had no sexual relationship with any of my male friends are represented in perceptions # 5&6 above. Needless to say, I was offended and won't be seeing him again. Neither are true in my case.
  
  SVixen: Like you, I've always found it easier to relate to men. Not sure why. I think I have an excellent relationship with my father, and naturally gravitate to men for companionship. My Dad agrees with me that men & women absolutely can be friends without sexual interaction. My Mom, on the other hand subscribes to the belief that they cannot (unless homosexual). It's a huge loss for all, I feel, when we subscribe to any limitations of our circle of friends. The only limitations to friendships I find, are chemistry/compatibility, and sometimes a consolidation of logistics, time and effort can limit developing friendships, and even those if really motivated can be overcome.
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Aug 03, 2007....

  my answers are the same as u-i's. :>
  
  ed

• destinydiva said on Aug 04, 2007....

  1. TRUE = Men & Woman can ABSOLUTELY be friends without it implying some sexual or romantic interaction, or without even the intention of one or both parties intending to move toward a more intimate relationship.
  2.  FALSE Men & Woman cannot be friends, but instead, only sexual or romantic partners.
  3. FALSE= Men & Woman can only be friends if one or both are homosexual.
     
  4. FALSE = Any man who is a friend with a woman is simply awaiting an opportunity for either a sexual or romantic relationship to develop.
     
  5. FALSE = Any woman who is a friend with a man is only interested in the attention she gets by leading him on, or is keeping him in the wings until a current relationship ends, either as an emergency back up or because she is afraid, can't or won't end her current relationship herself.
     
  6.  FALSE = Any woman who has a lot of male friends is promiscuous.
  7.  FALSE = Any male friend of a woman must be a past lover, homosexual, or a homely rejection for whom she feels sorry.
  8.  FALSE = Any female friend of a man must be a past lover, homosexual, or a homely rejection for whom he feels sorry.
  destiny xx
  

• Daniel68 said on Aug 10, 2007....

  I'll go with #1.
  
  Men and women can be friends. There's no stipulation of age differences in your post, btw. Women in their 50s often like to coach guys in their 40s and 30s, if you take the time to ask them, about how to make a younger woman happy. Kind of like Cyrano in reverse.
  
  
  
  
  

• the_infernal_optimist said on Aug 22, 2007....

  Of course men and women can "just" be friends. :) Most of the dearest friends I have in life are male, and I guarantee there's no ulterior motive on my part (and I'm heartily heterosexual ;-)).
  
  ~Infernal
  

• desertsienna2 said on Aug 26, 2007....

  No, no amount of social engineering will change society.  I have had gay friends but many gays prefer to hang out at gay clubs and dances a lot of the time and I find it hard to be friends with people I have nothing in common with.  Sometimes, people like you but you don't like them.  I attract one group of people I completely dislike, won't say who, but have never done anything to attract them and would prefer they leave me alone, (not gays, another group).  Do men want to be friends with women? Sometimes, yes.  Sometimes, no.  It is fine to try to get with someone you are friends with if nobody else is in the picture but waiting around for a guy or girl in a relationship is a recipe for disaster.  It's not surprising that a man would try to get with an attractive girl he is friends with, but what he wants out of it matters.  If he is serious about a relationship and in love with her, it's a good thing, but if she doesn't feel the same way, it's a bad thing.  If he just wants sex from her, then the girl wonders if he was using her all along or if he really thinks he can have his cake and eat it, too.

• jdworldly said on Sep 14, 2007....

  Yes of course its possible to be friends if the sexual appeal is not there. However if one is super-attracted to a woman--right now I am especially enamored of an older married woman who enjoys my company but that's as far as it goes-- it is far more difficult to stay friends.
  By the way, I am a world traveler and find your background intriguing--I recently returned from Greenland which is an amazing place since it is the largest island in the world with a population of only 55,000. More to come later...

• hilaryj said on Oct 22, 2007....

  For me I find friendship with men better but alarming to some extent, at times. For me, if you put walls and try not to get attracted to him will open up to a much more fulfilling relationship of friendship that you may have hoped for. And at times, either one of you will become absorbed with the friendship and here comes the problem. Focus not with the person but in friendship and honor it. And I dont think sex will come out of friendship, because of what you call respect. For me I can't seem to be making love with a friend when his intention on the first place is such. I find it hard to mix them. A friend is a friend. Not like when you meet someone, the intention is there.... physical attraction, either implied, direct or hidden, other than friendship. Anyway, maybe it does not hold true to most people, just my opinion.

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