meritocrat

Some friends and I were talking the other day about chatting people up and one said they would be offended if a member of the same sex wanted to hit on them.

Would you take offence? Personally I'd be flattered if another man tried to chat me up. Can't you say say you're not gay or something and he'll go away?

Evil Milkman

No, I wouldn't take offense. In fact, I have been hit on by another male before, and though I was admittedly a little uncomfortable, I didn't get indignant. In fact, how can it be a bad thing?

DarkBronzePlant

Exactly the response I was going to give.

There was a time in high school where a guy in our circle of friend came out. And once he was out, man, he was out! He hit on me constantly, showed me some (rather explicit) stuff he'd write about me in his journal, etc. Most of it was fine. There got to a point, though, where enough was enough, especially when unwanted physical contact kept occurring. I think at that point, I was going overboard trying not to be "homophobic", and was putting up with too much. I finally thought to myself, "would I be putting up with all of this if it was a girl I didn't like? No? Okay, then I shouldn't be putting up with this now." In that case, I had no problem with his liking me, and some of the "hitting on", but it just got to a point.

Since then, I've been hit on by quite a few gay guys. Aside from making me wonder if I was giving oiff serious gay-dar signals, I had no problem with it, and consider it somewhat flattering.

I don't know, maybe your friends (I assume they are male) think it's a sign that they don't look manly enough (if they are attractive to other men) and take offense to that?

Sakpo

I was asked out by another guy once. I'll readily admit that I did feel mortified and a part of me wanted to react violently. I didn't though (such a reaction is inexcusable). I blushed, smiled, and told him I was straight (which I pretty much am). He moved on, I hope he didn't pick up on those negative feelings I felt. Society builds a lot of prejudices, irrational fears, stupid ideas, and other negative things into us. I was raised in a very non homophobic home. One of my dads best friends, who I grew up seeing all the time, is an openly gay man (actually, he thinks he's only half out of the closet, but everyone he's ever met at least suspects he's gay). I was always told that if I was gay there was no shame in that and I'd be loved equally no matter what. I was raised to not treat gays differently than other people, to not use words like "gay" or "fag" or "dyke" as insults. Yet, when I was hit on, I had those feelings, which our society (and maybe biology, what do I know?) puts in us. I was also a bit less mature than I am now, I guess.

Feeling those things, being tempted to react like some sort of serious jerk, or worse, a monster, scared me and made me want to address this issue in myself, and I suspect that if another gay guy hit on me now, I'd simply be flattered (as long as he accepted my being straight and left me alone, in terms of sex/love, afterward).

trillian

I think some men are offended by the implication. Hey! He thought that "I" was gay??!!! Why? Why would he ever think that "I" was gay?!!! ewwww. grrrr then they go do some manly thing to reaffirm their manhood.

I would also guess that the level of "offendedness" is linked to the number of people (especially friends) who witness it.

Most straight guys don't want to think they could ever give off the "gay vibe". Whatever that is.

AquaVita

I've been hit on numerous times by gay men. I love it. Then again, I'm told I'm a bit histrionic, so that should come as no surprise.

emotional

Yes, that's the thoughts that ran off my mind when I was hit by a gay man. I found it very offensive.

Novowels

Depends on if he's cute or not.

NonHomogenized

Eh. I've been hit on a couple times by gay guys. Yeah, I'm flattered. No, I'm not interested. Same as if I got hit on by a girl I'm not interested in. Though, for some reason, I've been told by many people that they assumed I was gay, when they met me. *shrug* I don't get it. Nor do I really care.
Unless, of course, it's keeping me from getting hit on by intelligent, attractive women with great personalities (or, intelligent women with great personalities. Then, even if I'm not interested, I'd have more cool friends). Then I have a serious objection to it.

Gurdur

Despite being 100 % straight myself, apparently a lot of men think I'm gay, even if in a very butch leather-and-chains kind of way.
Oddly, no woman I've met thinks I'm gay.
Life is strange.