Relationship advices: LGBTQ+ Relationships

Have I made a mistake?

I (18M) was in a talking stage with an 18F who identifies as bisexual, which I'm totally okay with. At the beginning of our conversations, she said she would call me to chat, but she never followed through. I didn’t think much of it until two days ago when she got really drunk and, based on her messages, she told her dad she's bisexual, and he reacted with anger. I wanted to be supportive, so I suggested, “We can always talk about it if you want since you still owe me that call, lol.” She replied, “I don’t owe you anything.” I quickly apologized, clarifying that I was just joking. She read my texts but has since deleted her Instagram and blocked me on TikTok. I tried reaching out via text, but she hasn’t responded. Did I do something wrong? Also, it’s worth mentioning that just 10 minutes before this, she was flirting with me, saying she could “beat my cute ass” in a fight and called me "baby" with a heart emoji. I'm just really upset about the whole situation.

I've never been attracted to a man or masculine person before, but now I (24F) have feelings for my close friend (21M). How does this happen?

Hey! So, here’s the quick version: I'm a 24-year-old woman who has only ever been attracted to women. However, I recently developed feelings for one of my closest friends, who is a very androgynous guy, and it's left me feeling quite confused 😭. I’ve already come to terms with what this means for my sexuality, but navigating this situation is tricky for a couple of reasons: he’s a great friend and he’s a man. I’ve been dropping hints, but I can’t tell if he’s not picking up on them because he doesn’t want to acknowledge them or if I need to be more direct. I’m uncertain. The full story is below. Let’s call my friend Youssef ❤️. We met online about two years ago while creating content in the same niche on TikTok. We followed each other and quickly started chatting, which turned into daily voice notes and texts. Our bond has grown strong, and it’s been wonderful! He lives in my home country, while I’m in the U.S. When I visited family last summer, he was the only friend I made time to see—even though I didn’t have feelings for him then, I just knew I wanted to spend time with him. I felt butterflies the whole time, but I didn’t think much of it since he had a boyfriend and I didn’t consider myself attracted to anyone who wasn’t a woman. Fast forward a few months to December: Youssef shared that he had broken up with his boyfriend and I was the first person he told. As he opened up to me, I felt an unfamiliar ache in my heart, realizing how much I truly cared for him. I started replaying his voice notes and reminiscing about our messages, ultimately identifying my feelings as a crush. After a bit of an identity crisis regarding my sexuality, I fully embraced it and began crushing hard, lol. Here’s the catch—he identifies as pansexual but mostly dates men. When we became friends, I mentioned I was a lesbian, which we joked about, and I even said he’d be my type if I liked men 🥲. As the months went by, I began overanalyzing our friendship, thinking maybe I was overstepping. Even though we flirted playfully—typical of our queer friendship—I started toning that down a bit. Early January, he shared a bunch of pictures of himself with friends, and one included us. I messaged him, saying, "Omg, all your friends are so cute, look at us ❤️," to which he replied, “We’re all sexy, be real... I would date every single one of us, including you." I was totally shocked! It felt like he was giving me more than just friendly vibes, and my crush reignited. There’s definitely been a lot of flirtation between us, but sometimes I can’t tell if it’s just playful banter or if he actually feels something for me. Here are a few examples to help clarify: Signs he might like me: - He used to comment on my TikToks complimenting me like he does with people he likes, saying things like, “Damn, you look so good, cutie.” - He sends me TikToks with sexual jokes. - He talks about what he wants in a partner and lists traits I have, then mentions, “If only someone like that was in our country…” (I want to move back, so who knows?) - He frequently expresses how much he wishes I could be there for activities or celebrations. - When I first met him, I let slip that I kind of liked him, and he got excited about it but then later lamented that the right people for him aren’t in our country. Signs that confuse me: - He recently mentioned a crush on a mutual friend I introduced him to and keeps talking about them but adds that it won’t lead anywhere. - When I jokingly suggest I could be into men, he doesn’t seem to react. He only responds to other parts of the conversation. - After I told him about a friend getting engaged, he expressed a desire for us to live authentically and then sent me a mildly flirty message an hour later. This left me wondering if he still sees me strictly as a lesbian or if he doesn’t recognize that I could like him. What do you think? I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship, so I’m keeping the flirting light. I’m curious to know if he might feel the same or if I should just let it go and continue being friends. Thanks for reading and for your thoughts!

Ways to show love to my girlfriend

I'm facing a somewhat unique challenge in my relationship. My girlfriend and I (in a wlw relationship) have been navigating our different ways of expressing love. While we both cherish physical touch—even simple gestures like holding hands—things get a bit tricky when we're out in public. I struggle with anxiety and come from a strict, homophobic upbringing, which leads me to shy away from any public displays of affection. On the other hand, she enjoys showing affection openly and often feels down about my discomfort, although she makes an effort to understand my perspective. I'm looking for advice on how to make her feel loved in a way that aligns with both of our needs or how I can manage my anxiety about being queer in public. I live in a fairly accepting city, but it's hard to shake the habits I developed growing up. Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated!

Feeling conflicted and longing to be with a woman... despite being in a relationship with my boyfriend.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for nearly three years, and I truly love him. We're both in eleventh grade, and he means the world to me. He often talks about wanting to marry me, and while I do love him and sometimes share those feelings, I can't shake this intense desire to kiss a girl. It all started with curiosity, but now it feels like an essential part of what I need to experience in my life. I'm so confused. I care about him deeply, but I know our relationship may not last forever—he hopes it will, but I’m aware of the statistics. My biggest fear is the thought of being with him for my entire life, which sounds terrible, I know. Maybe we’ll make it through high school together, and possibly even part of college, but I feel a strong urge to date a girl, and I can't emphasize that enough. Sometimes, this confusion and sense of regret consume my thoughts. I love him, I’m attracted to him—everything about our relationship feels real. Yet, I just can’t envision a long-term future with him.