Our contributor Dr. AlanK had some sage advice for a young male reader whose girlfriend recently discovered that she is bisexual:
You’re an early 20-something man and your girlfriend announces she’s bisexual. She has discovered that an important piece of her erotic makeup involves women. She will eventually connect with one. Hell, she probably should connect with at least one; nobody should go through life without fulfilling all her (innocent) sexual desires. The question therefore is “How do you get ahead of this inevitable event in a way that doesn’t destroy your relationship?”
You set up ground rules NOW. You find some agreed-upon way for her to manage her feelings without destroying yours. If you cannot, you break up now before anyone gets further hurt.
What are good rules? That’s up to you. If it were me, I’d suggest allowing her to have any relationship she likes with women as long as she tells you about it and does not extend this to men. Then, you’d get the same rights with men. You’re young, remember? A little dick couldn’t hurt. (I’m mostly kidding about this part.) You may prefer stricter rules — e.g. nothing more than a little kissing — but setting rules that won’t be followed is a recipe for disaster. In my experience, the more elbow room the better. But then again, I’m not you.
Actually, my ideal solution would be that she has sex with women only if you’re also invited. (Yeah, all men are pigs.) And good luck with that!
Just remember that the odds of establishing a life-long monogamous relationship in your early 20s are pretty bad, and the odds of establishing one with a woman who has just discovered an interest in other women are even worse. So if you want to keep this woman, you’re going to have to give her space.
Which is of course my personal, only-for-me, not-guaranteed-for-anyone-else, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously, your-results-may-vary advice.
