Why I Like Straight Guys

Ok, that title is a bit misleading. I mean I don't not like straight guys, but I don't like them in the way that straight girls do. In other words, I'm clearly aware they're off limits. And that is why I like them. I'll explain more in a second, but first, I need to share the "Wind Beneath my Wings" story.

So after the two movies, Becks and I were hungry and headed over to a nice family owned/operated pizza place. While we were waiting for our pie to arrive, the conversation turned to some recent tragic news of the untimely passing of the partner of one of our coworkers. He came home to find his partner had passed away on the floor, and we're not sure what happened. It's very sad and our hearts go out to our coworker and friend. Then we started talking about how each of us would deal in a similar situation. And then we started discussing scenarios if we lived alone and something were to happen to us, and how long it would take for someone to discover our own lifeless body. Talking about each other's and our own mortality was kind of a downer. Although I haven't known Becks for as long as say I have known Carlos, or even my coworkers, I've really enjoyed getting to know him better in the past year. Then, right in the middle of our downer discussion, Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" starts playing over the restaurant's speaker system. If you remember back to the late 80s you'll remember this song was in the tear-jerking movie "Beaches" in which one of the main characters dies. We both look at each other, and I both ruin the moment and break the tension with a sarcastic comment about now having to promise to be BFFs. If you're not familiar with the term BFF, just Google it or just watch the Bratz movie trailer…you'll be sorry you did. Anyway, we both laugh at the crazy coincidental timing of the whole thing. And yes, Becks, I am indeed blogging about it.

The entire 11 hours we hung out I felt completely at ease with Becks, and thus, why I like straight guys. There's no pretenses, no pressure to meet "community" and media standards in physical appearance, and no competition in the same dating pool. It's just hanging out, having fun, talking about whatever. And while some conversation topics can lead to instant dead-ends, it's still a lot better than feeling like you need to impress them per chance to get a date with them.

To be fair, straight guys have their downsides too. For one—and through no fault of their own—I become befuddlingly awkward around cute guys (gay or str8)…it's not a pretty sight and I suspect that the cute guys think I'm suffering from Tourette syndrome or something. And as I touched on before, there can be times my interests and their interests might differ significantly thus stalling the conversation…so I try to keep my conversations about hot guys and home decor to a minimum and hope that they will not talk about tits and ass. Plus straight guys don't like to talk about their feelings. (OK, that was too stereotypical on both sides, my apologies.) And then, of course, there's the seemingly mandatory homophobic factor that seems to come into play, either because of social pressures or macho posturing, or both. Usually this takes place in the form of saying things like "that's so gay" as a way of disparaging something. Becks has let that last example slip a couple times, but he's always caught himself and immediately apologized and I've thanked him and done my best not make him feel more awkward about saying it.

I'm just happy he's as cool and accepting as he is because when I first met him some of our coworkers made it seem like he was a big-time conservative and that he was highly homophobic. Discovering that they were wrong on most counts is a relief. Anyway, I'm glad I have a new friend who likes going to baseball games, likes Aqua Teen Hunger Force, doesn't drink to cope with everyday life, and who I can still catch off guard with a great one liner rendering him speechless, slowly turning red, and looking for the nearest escape route. Good times…good times.