Platonic friendships - do they exist?

I think it is perfectly possible to have a platonic friendship. I have had several in the past and have one now. Not been sexually attracted to any of them but have liked and admired them as people

I have enjoyed platonic friendships with several men. Whether or not the men in question harboured secret sexual desires for me must remain a mystery.

DH has a platonic friendship with someone from his gym. Why would he be sexually interested in her when he has me?

I have a few lovely male friends, none of whom have been romantically attracted to me and vice versa.

Yes I have had friendships with men that were just that. Like most women I'm not attracted in a sexual way to every man I meet.

Daddima

My friend insists they do not, and that at least one of the parties must be attracted to the other. Now I had a close friendship with a work colleague ( now deceased), and I certainly was not physically attracted to him, and would be horrified to think that he had been attracted to me ‘ in that way’!
What do you think?

Your friend is wrong. I've got longterm platonic men friends, some from before any of us were married. Some of them have been in and out of several marriages/ relationships during that time; so they are certainly having sex with other women. Just not me.

Dh has been greatly entertained by the thoughtful gifts sent by some of my friends. There was a guy he had never met who turned up at the door and said "I've got a present for Butterjam, something I promised her a long time ago" DH said I was out but invited him to leave the gift. The guy holds out a plastic bucket and said "keep the lid on, it's toads".

Then there was the one-eyed 90 yr old millionaire I'd met in the village when he heard me laying in to some teen vandals. He said I reminded him of his dead wife ans used to invite me for afternoon tea and a hair cut. His children got a bit agitated about Dad's "friend" and his son came to our house to find out who the hell I was and what my designs were on their father.
They got DH, who assured me that I was very very married and not remotely interested in seducing a very frail old man.

I just like men, and they like me.

butterandjam;- why not ? 😂

I have platonic friends. None have ever shown the slightest romantic /sexual interest. 🙄

Nor I to them. It would be like chatting up my brother. 🤢 Yuck

I like your style Kitty!

Is your friend a teenager unable to think beyond sex? Bit strange to go through adulthood and still have that mentality.

Exactly Kittylester good point!

I have had platonic friendships as well, perfectly acceptable no sexual attraction on either side. It's good to have a wide range of friends and hear differing views on life.

It’s a shame your friend thinks this. I had a friendship for years with lovely man who was straight.

I have had a few platonic friends, my first day at work I met someone who always had my back and looked after me. His first wife and my husband excepted our friendship. But after divorce his 2nd wife said we couldn’t be friends.
Also another lifelong friend him and his wife were always great friends with me and my husband for over 40 years. Until my husband died and both him and his wife withdrew all contact.
People have said she saw me as a threat but definitely not on my side!

I have had platonic friendships with many men, both straight and gay.

Strictly speaking I could describe any relationship to any of my women friends as platonic too, as we are certainly not sexually attracted or attractive to each other.

I’ve had a few friend ships like this,or so I thought. Years down the line one of them said I always fancied you which really I felt quite strange about.
Today, some people seem to have these friendships called F—k buddies. No I wouldn’t fancy that at all. Each to their own.

I have several platonic friendships, one going back more than sixty years, based on shared interests or experiences. In my eyes, and they are all of my generation, they are attractive women, but our friendships do not depend on me being attracted to them, or them to me, whatever that actually means with the advancing years. We just get on well!

Yeah I think platonic friendships are possible.
To say otherwise, to me it goes against the whole equality / #Metoo thing. If we can't have friendships with men who we've known for years & have lots in common with, where both should know the other isn't interested in romance, that's cos we haven't got past feeling / being viewed in our traditional roles.
If cats can be friends with ducklings & humans can be friends with dogs, why can't women be friends with men?

I have platonic male friends, some I've known for well over 60 years. There's never been anything beside friendship and respect.

Of course they do. If you're a couple and you mix with other people who are couples, are they not BOTH your friends?

And I for one wouldn't be thinking of dismissing 50% of the population as potential friends just because they're not the same gender.

This is 2026 not 1826.

I was talking to my dear male friend yesterday. We will both be 80 this year. We met at work when we were 18. I love him as a brother.

You must have the most enormous self confidence kittylester! 🤣🤣🤣

Well said Kitty 👍

I have three close male friends, all married. I am also friends with the wives of two of them though our paths don’t cross as often. I got to know them through groups I belong to. Entirely platonic.

Of course you can have a platonic friendship with a member of the opposite sex. I have had quite a few over the years, but I have also experienced a couple of what I thought were platonic friendships but the guy obviously wanted it to be something more. I dealt with it..