Thanks for the perspective.

I don’t think there really is a difference. I have several male friends who are just that — friends. It’s platonic. We appreciate each other immensely though. They treat me like I’m their sister.

Now, this might seem bizarre, but while my friendship with these guys is just as close as with my best female friends, the quality is subtly different. I get things from my guy friends I don’t from my women friends and vice versa. There are times when only another woman can really be there.

I think that’s one reason I do support all-male and all-female social clubs. There are times when men (or women) really just need their own space.

But, anyway, one thing I’ve found since I have guy friends who are more like brothers, my romantic relationships are MUCH better because of my guy friends. They give great advice when I need it. They totally want the best for me and they are not competing with the guy I’m dating. And I trust them. So it’s really great.

The other thing is simply humanitarian. I think part of obeying Christ (if you are a Christian) is to learn to love other people. Part of doing that is to see the common humanity between people. It is easier to love someone else if you can see how they are like you. When I started trying to really live the Golden Rule — really treat others the way I’d want to be treated — a lot of the way I saw men changed. Suddenly, I was seeing them more as just… people.