Christian Purity Culture Ruined My Ability to Have Male Friends
It turns out all men aren’t sex-obsessed predators
Content warning: mentions of rape
One of my best friends in middle school was a boy named Alex. He was funny, quirky and weird in the best way. I adored him. Whenever I saw him, I would run up to him and throw my arms around him. Interestingly enough, I did not do this when I saw my boyfriend.
One day Alex and I walked to his locker together after class. We chatted while he got his books until a girl at the locker next to his asked “are you guys dating?”
We weren’t of course. We were close friends but there were no romantic feelings there. I don’t know if Alex was gay or would identify as queer now, but he was not the traditionally masculine type at all. He was nerdy and goofy and loved video games. He wasn’t an alpha male or anything like the other obnoxious, annoying boys. He didn’t date girls, but he had a lot of close female friends.
Obviously, just because a guy isn’t traditionally masculine doesn’t mean he’s queer, just like if a guy is traditionally masculine doesn’t automatically mean he’s straight. I don’t know what Alex would identify as today, but for some reason I’ve always felt way more comfortable around guys who are effeminate, queer or…
