OurPath Open Forum

This Open Forum is funded and administered by OurPath, Inc., (formerly the Straight Spouse Network). OurPath is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides support to Straight Partners and Partners of Trans People who have discovered that their partner is LGBT+. Your contribution, no matter how small, helps us provide our community with this space for discussion and connection.


BE A DONOR >>>


You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



April 30, 2017 3:03 pm  #1


Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

Hello,
Not sure where to start so I will do my best to keep this somewhat short and to the point. I met my husband 4 years ago. He seemed to be the perfect man for me. 1.5 years into our relationship we moved to another state. This is where I found out he had been meeting with men on craigslist for oral sex while we were living in the state we moved from. He also was already on websites to meet other gay men within a week of our move. I kicked him out. Eventually he came back home. He made promises to me, told me he was confused didn't know why he did it. Said probably from sexual abuse from childhood. I knew that to be an excuse but I still wanted to believe him.

He has recently been in therapy for seeking out men on craigslist or just wanting to "talk" to one of them. As well as saying he only wants to look at their pics not actually meet them, according to him it is no different than a gay porn site. Which I know is ridiculous. He has admitted he has lied to his therapist about his continued seeking out men to "look at" on craigslist. This is what is even more confusing for me, if he is bi-sexual, no problem. The problem is his cheating and lying. If he had all he wanted from me, he wouldn't want to sneak and lie to look at men.

We have a very active sex life. He is always wanting to engage with me in some sort of sexual act. Then again, he won't tell me he would like to look at gay porn together or anything of the sort. He enjoys being lying to me so he can look at these men in private. He claims he can look at gay porn yet it won't get him hard. He has to then watch straight porn to effectively get off. My gut tells me he is a gay man refusing to accept what he really is. My heart knows he is lying to me. He does love me that I can see, yet he rationalizes lying to me for his sexual desires. I guess all I am looking for is clarity right now as I feel like a complete fool believing this man for four years. 

Last edited by needanswers73 (April 30, 2017 3:04 pm)

 

April 30, 2017 4:04 pm  #2


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

As far as I can see bisexual does not mean they are happy with a woman anyway.  Of course he is gay and really from the sounds of it he is a sex addict and needs to seek treatment for that as well as finding himself a nice boyfriend.  But none of that is your worry.  You need to focus on helping yourself get free from this man.  Before you get an std.

If he loved you he would be honest with you.  

 

 

April 30, 2017 4:11 pm  #3


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

Hi needanswers73, so sorry you find yourself here. A lot of these spouses/partners say they're bi on their way to fully realising they're actually gay. They lie to keep their cover and keep their gay lives on the down low. Please don't feel like a fool, you couldn't have known this, it was done in such a way to keep it from you. We can't see what they deliberately hide and sneak around about. You're not to blame and it's not on you that you didn't "know" this.

If he truly loved you he wouldn't need to sneak around and he'd be honest with you and respect you, he's not respecting you by doing what he's doing! He's even lying to his therapist! Protect yourself on all levels and build a support network for yourself. Keep posting on here and stay strong, you'll get through this but it'll take time.


Sometimes we are just the collateral damage in someone else's war against themselves
 

April 30, 2017 4:15 pm  #4


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

Thank you for responding. I have read a lot of posts on here, what has me so much more confused is that the majority of posts state that the gay spouse did not want anything sexual to do with their opposite sex partner. Clearly I am married to a gay man from his desire for men, yet the sexual contact with me part has me confused. 

     Thread Starter
 

April 30, 2017 5:12 pm  #5


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

my ex didn't like sex with women but we used to have sex when we were younger and it tapered off to nothing in midlife.

That's one thing and I think that will be the same with your man - he likes men.  But what you are describing, the constant sex acts, there are other women here who have experienced the same thing and maybe it starts as trying to prove you're not gay to yourself by having sex with as many women as possible but combined with all the porn watching it seems to me that he has become addicted to what I would call mechanistic sex (as opposed to loving sex).  in for the thrill.  That didn't happen with us it was the no thrills way!

I always felt there was something missing in our sex life, even in the early days.  I remember waking up one morning after we'd been together for a few years and I had this sense that something should be happening and it wasn't.  It felt a bit mechanical.  Lacking in emotional feeling from him I realise now.

 

April 30, 2017 7:31 pm  #6


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

needanswer73,

A sad welcome.

Straight men do no look at gay porn or go on craigslist.    I have no desire to ... I would think abnormal if any my straight freinds did this.

My sex life in my marriage was active.  My now ex did not give me any indication she did not like men or liked woman.

You're not a fool...you love your husband..we get it.    I think , though your suffering from "cognotive dissonance"...your having a hard time believing what you know in your bones...your mind doesn't want it to be true.   Our love is strong  and even our minds but eventually our bodies will tell us our spouses are betraying us.

Be kind to yourself.. you did nothing wrong.      Build your support system.


"For we walk by faith, not by sight .."  2Corinthians 5:7
 

May 1, 2017 12:22 pm  #7


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

Hi Needanswer73, 

Sorry you find yourself here.  

The fact that you are still feeling like you have a good and active sex life does make it very hard and confusing.  You are wondering how he can be gay but still seem to want you as well.  Perhaps he's bi?   Or perhaps he's trying so hard to protect his secret that he's trying to convince you that he isn't gay.   This happened to me..  my ex became more active toward the end because she was hiding her affair with her girlfriend and giving me more sex made her think I wouldn't worry so much.  

Unfortunately I think you need to step back a little bit from the confusion over his sexuality and look at his behavior.  He's been cheating on you and lying to you.  This is not OK.  Does it really matter who he is cheating with?  I think it only makes things cloudy and confusing, but it doesn't change the reality. 

Please go see a Dr. and get yourself checked for STDs.  You have no idea if he's been using protection. Even if he has, it's not safe to have a partner who is cheating with multiple strangers.  Even just oral sex leaves you open for health problems.  

The sad thing we see over and over here is that what they admit to is typically just the tip of the iceberg.  The reality is always worse.  If they say they have been with 5 men.. it's probably more like 25.  

 


-Formerly "Lostdad" - I now embrace the username "phoenix" because my former life ended in flames, but my new life will be spectacular. 

 
 

May 1, 2017 12:43 pm  #8


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

I'm totally with Phoenix.  If your husband was having lots of active sex with you but was looking at, talking to, and meeting up with WOMEN on the side for oral sex, would you be focused on his sexuality, or the fact that he's lying to you and cheating on you?  Don't let the gay thing take center focus here - that stuff needs to be thrown on TOP of the fact that he's cheating on you.  That makes it even worse.

As for him loving you, I'd rationalize that love is a verb, not a noun.  If he loved you the way he was supposed to love his wife, he wouldn't be doing ANY of this.  He wouldn't lie to you, he wouldn't cheat on you, heck - he wouldn't feel the need for all of this.  The other part is that so WHAT if he loves you if you can't get out of him what you need in a marriage???  Do you know how many men could say they love you, but you don't want them because they don't float your boat???  So the fact that he loves you doesn't mean that you're meant to be soul mates or something.  if a bum off ythe street told you he loved you, would you move right in with him?  No!  Because you're not interested.  I'm proposing that you not be interested in ANYone that tells you they love you but shows you the opposite.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

Kel

As for his excuses about why he does these things..... WHO THE F CARES?!?  If he was abused as a child, that's tragic and terrible.  What's that go to do with him cheating on you now?  NOTHING.  The fact that he was actively looking for men the week after he moved means that he had a regular (or several) back at home.  He couldn't even wait more than a week when there was SO much to be done.  That should tell you how habitual of a habit his behavior was where you lived before.

I don't believe him when he says that he doesn't get hard off of watching men, and then has to watch straight porn to get off.  WHY would he be watching it if it did nothing for him?  We've all been curious about some odd sex fetish and watched a hot minute of it.  But I'm betting that we didn't go back for more unless we found it exciting.  What would be the point?  He's lying there.  PLUS..... straight men don't look at gay porn.  They just.... don't.  They want to bleach their eyeballs if they accidentally see something like that.


You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.
 

May 1, 2017 12:56 pm  #9


Re: Very confused needing help from those who have been through this.

Kel wrote:

I'm totally with Phoenix. 

You should be.. I pulled that directly for your playbook.  It's right on.  Being a serial cheater makes a person a bad spouse regardless of what sex the person is that they cheat with.  Being gay doesn't make it ok to cheat.  It might make it more understandable, but it doesn't make it ok. 


And yes.. as a str8 man I agree completely..  gay porn is gross to me and does make me want to bleach my eyeballs.  If gay porn doesn't get him hard then there is ZERO reason to watch it.  That is a complete and total lie he is trying to feed you.  It's stupid.. makes no sense. 


-Formerly "Lostdad" - I now embrace the username "phoenix" because my former life ended in flames, but my new life will be spectacular. 

 
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum