by Can Tran

Created on: March 04, 2011   Last Updated: March 05, 2011

Ideally, there should be no cons of having friends that are part of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community.  It is good to have friends from all walks of life as they are crucial to expanding your social horizons.  It is good to have a bunch of friends.  But, it is usually better to have a very diverse pool of friends for the most part.  At the same time, the notion of pros and cons are subjective.  There are no absolute pros and cons in the matter.  It is a matter of perception from one person to another person.

In a sense, think of the cons as obstacles you need to overcome in life.  The pros seem to be obvious for the most part.

The first pro is that you get to see the world of the LGBT community.  Thus, that does a good job of broadening your horizons.  In this regard, you get a more worldly view of things.  This brings you more enlightenment for the most part.

The second pro is that you get to expand your circle of friends.  It is always good to have friends from all walks of life.  That helps broaden your horizons.  You become more tolerant and understanding.

The third pro is if you have a business and you wish to expand into the LGBT demographic, then having LGBT friends is a very good idea.  In today’s world, networking is very crucial.  Friends are very important to expanding and maintaining that network.

As for the “cons,” they are not pretty.  You will probably learn the hard truth of who your true friends are.  If you start making friends with those of the LGBT community, expect a number of your current friends to turn on you.  They might turn hostile towards you due to a major difference in ideological views.  Some might turn on you and then call your all sorts of mean and harsh names.

Think of that con as an obstacle of adversity that you must endure.  It would be a catalyst in which those who are allegedly your friends show their true feelings.  Emotionally, you will be left severely hurt.

If your parents are social conservatives, as a con, the relationship you have with them will probably be strained.  The same thing goes if you have a spouse that is a hardcore social conservative. 

One con that should be considered is if you happen to be attracted to one of those friends.  In this regard, one can refer to the movie called “Chasing Amy.” 

Holistically, there are really no cons of having LGBT friends.  It is not different than having friends of a different gender, a different ethnicity, a different religious belief, a different political ideology, etc.  LGBT friends are friends with different sexual preferences.  

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