Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left Podcast. This is a sample of our recent bonus episode, usually only available to members. These episodes are comprised of our crew of researchers, Amanda, and myself all getting together

for a roundtable discussion on topics that we find interesting. So here's a few minutes for free so you can

know what all the fuss is about.

I've known for a very long time that I was attracted to girls.

What's up, Miss E and Stephanie from third grade?

Like, I've known for a very long time, but I've also known that I really enjoy being around male friends and like having deep interpersonal relationships with with men.

It doesn't mean it's sexual, It's never men it's sexual and the why of why it has to be perceived that way is very it's always been confusing to me and I still don't understand it even you know after we've

read a bunch of articles we've talked about this a bunch but like I still don't

get it I just I really don't get it so to go back to the article that we read in their story one of the things that I kind of

Don't know picked up on I guess and obviously we didn't interview these two people were reading an an article so the subtext or whatever

that may exist is that actuality I don't know we're gonna take it as what it is

but the one who did identify as gay, he referenced a couple times where he noticed his friend pulling away from him.

And it was because of that perception.

And this was my example of what every man like needs and needs to know is how did

he rectify that distance, not by just dismissing his friend and letting the distance continue to grow but by addressing it head on with him having

an open dialogue communicating feelings and having a safe space for it and both of them rekindled their friendship and were able to move past it and like

understand one another to a better degree. Like to me that was a really beautiful moment even though

unfortunately had to be driven

by the one who was being pulled away from I still thought it was just a great

representation of what it takes to have these deep connections with other people honestly like we can make it about

men to men but it's just people in general having that vulnerability within your relationship to have a conversation.

Yeah yeah absolutely and the way within your when the other started to pull away was by pointing out that the discomfort that was being felt was culturally specific. So the gay guy of the two is Brazilian American and pointed out that for Brazilian men to kiss each

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