When a straight guy asks a lesbian out?
Q: I could use some help in understanding proper etiquette when a heterosexual fellow asks me out thinking that I’m a straight woman. What can I say?
A: If you missed the wonderful cartoon on this subject in the New Yorker recently, let me repeat the caption, since it’s brilliant. Straight guy asks lesbian out, and she replies: “Thanks, but I’m in the middle of a lesbian phase that started the day I was born.” If you’re prepared to be out, a dollop of humor will take you far. A line of that kind delivered with warmth (as opposed to snottiness) definitely counts as “proper.”
Are older gay men “cougars” or “daddies?”
Q: I’m in my mid-40s and have started dating a guy who is about 20 years younger than me. While it’s practically trendy these days for cougars (older women) to be pursuing younger straight men, I’m getting a lot of flack from my friends that my boyfriend’s not “age-appropriate” for me. What is most insulting is how my friends dismiss him in social situations as a “kid” (even though he’s a Fulbright Scholar) and me as a “daddy,” which he doesn’t need or want and which is a role I would never play. They also just assume that I’ve pursued him and that I’m “robbing the cradle.” That’s actually not the case. He came after me. I’m frustrated and need to know how to handle all these raised eyebrows and sharp words.
A: Did you know that the general rule of thumb for so-called age-appropriate relationships is half your age plus seven? So, given what you’ve told me, you’re very close to a mathematically correct relationship. But, really, so what? The most important thing is that you’ve found someone you care for and that those feelings are reciprocated.

As for your friends mouthing off about your age difference, I can only guess that it’s some combination of envy (“he’s got a young, hot one”), caring (“as soon as he grows up, he’ll leave you with a broken heart”) or the slimy cultural residue from Donald Trump’s numerous age-inappropriate marriages. But don’t forget the many happy “age inappropriate” gay couples: writer Christopher Isherwood and painter Don Bachardy (30 years between them) and playwright Terrence McNally and lawyer Tom Kirdahy (25 years). In any case, it sounds like you need to speak up, though not in front of your boyfriend. Be clear with your friends that you expect them to treat him with respect and that their jokes about you being a “daddy” have worn themselves thin. Good friends will follow your lead. Bad friends can be asked to make for the door.

Of course, “daddy/boy” relationships have a long and not necessarily sordid history in gay culture, but whether or not there is that dynamic, it’s nobody’s business to make a judgment. Honestly, it’s hard enough to find a compatible boyfriend or girlfriend, so congratulations to you both. And don’t forget Julie Andrews’ memorable lyrics from the Sound of Music: “Love is where you find it.”
Can kids grow up “normal” in a gay home?
Q: My sister is a born-again Christian and the mother of five. She constantly tells me that my partner and I are going to have really messed up kids because we’re lesbians. We definitely do want children. And last week my sister said to us: “How could a child grow up to be normal in a gay household?” What in the world do I say to her?
A: Well, it depends how available your sister is to having her mind changed. You could explain to her that all the research shows that children of lesbians and gays turn out just as well as other kids and that there’s no evidence to suggest that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents. It’s also true that one’s sexuality does not make for a good or bad parent; what matters most is your ability to create a loving and caring environment.

But the truth is that you may not actually resolve this issue until you have a chance to show her by example. I’m going to guess that the day your sister sees that your kids are pretty much like any other kids is the day she’ll understand. Knowing gay people—and in cases such as this one, knowing the children of gays and lesbians—seems to be the number one factor when folks who started out homophobic decide to finally accept LGBT folks.

Still, it sounds like your kids are still some way off, and not available for such a “demonstration.” So, if she won’t do some reading on her own or listen to your protestations, tell her politely that the topic is off bounds. It’s called setting boundaries. Then, once you’ve decided to get pregnant or adopt, let her know the good news in person and suggest she attend a meeting with PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: check out their site at pflag.org). And don’t forget to make sure she’s invited to your baby shower!

Steven Petrow writes for The Huffington Post and Daily Beast. If you have a LGBT manners question, send it to him at queeries@live.com. And check him out on the web at gayandlesbianmanners.com.