Hi, I've always wanted to feel more a part of the community and have a bunch of gay or bi friends of either sex to hang out with or just be in contact with, but I never have. There's a handful of people I know who are gay or bi, but most of them I don't know well or who have busy lives where they can't meet, live abroad or are awful people who act bitchy because I am not camp and apparently that's unforgivable. I want to know any good apps or sites or ideas for things I could do to make more friends who are similar to me, but without the automatic suggestion that there might also be sex involved. People on ###### sometimes say they are looking for friends, but that seems to just mean people they hook up with regularly. Thoughts?
Where I am there are some hobby groups which are for LGBTQ folks. That is one way I have met folks and then hang out at the coffee shop sometimes (we have one that caters to LGBTQ folks). The other is Meet Up groups. Lately there have been a couple which got started for LGBTQ folks, my profile lists my interests include bisexual and LGBTQ so I get fed alerts of new groups or events that match.
Hi there! Have you tried meetup.com to see what kinds of LGBTQ+ social groups there might be in your area - as DecentOne suggested? Meetup also has other groups that could potentially include members of the LGBTQ+ community. Maybe try to join something that matches your interests, hobbies to begin with, and take it from there. There might also be other social groups that gear towards the community - some of which could be listed on a resource page of a support centre, group. Have you tried checking out support group, or perhaps even the university pages? Sometimes a LGBTQ+ group on campus will have a page of its own with links to local resources and social events for the community in town.
Meetup is a great place to meet other gay people. There are a lot of gay friendly groups in my area that I am in and they have a lot of events you can attend to feel a part of the LGBT community.
Even though people on dating apps might say they are looking for friends, most are still there to find dates. Personally, I've found most LGBT friends (besides existing friends in school/family) within the arts community as I became more than an amateur artist. Likewise, try finding groups that are doing something you like (sports, music, gaming, volunteering, etc.) that may have LGBT members or LGBT-specific groups.
