How would you feel if your childhood friend all of a sudden confessed he/she was gay?

Depending on the friend, I might well feel (as I have in the past) "Damn, shoulda come on to them YEARS ago!"

Boy, that really depends on the person. Some friends I'd be happy for, that they could come out, others I'd feel betrayed that they didn't tell me sooner, others I wouldn't care. It depends on how open our relationship had been, on whether I was surprised, on how they'd been treating me recently, and many other things.

I put wouldn't care, but I would discuss it with them further. But I wouldn't stop being their friend.

Bad categories, since the best response you've listed is neutral. I'm guessing that by "Wouldn't care" you meant "Wouldn't affect my friendship for this person." And that's certainly true, but as to "How would I feel," well, that would depend on the person. One of my close childhood friends came out to me several years ago and I thought it was great and wanted to throw her a party. Unfortunately (IMHO) she's backed away from that. There are other people I can think of for whom I'd be really happy. There are several who would really shock me if they came out to me as gay, but that's because it would be a completely unexpected development. Generally, I guess I'd feel positive that they had chosen to share this aspect of their lives with me. It might affect our friendship, because, for example, they might stop doging at me about being unable to find a man and start complaining about the lack of good lesbian bars in the area. But as to how I would feel about them, I can't think of anyone who could change that by coming out to me. Wow, who spiked my coke with ramble-juice?!

Other: good for them. I wouldn't not care, I would be proud of them for coming out, so I didn't think any of the choices were what I wanted to say.

I'd feel a bit strange that I either hadn't been perceptive enough to notice this before or that they had actually lied to me all these years about something that basic. But I would be supportive of them in every way I could.

Wouldn't care as long as they didn't try anything on me. They're still the same person, no matter what.

I will feel the same that if he/she confessed that he/she likes the blue colour, or the chili sauce, or Charlie Parker, or Ingmar Bergman's movies, or the cats, or...

Don't care. And it has happened already....

Would feel proud of them for finding themselves. Hey, this actually happened to me! (female friend for High School came out in the last 5 years...)

Rather a loaded question. Fiore: what's to discuss?

I'd be surprised that I hadn't already figured it out. PIGEON: Are you trying to tell me something? BILL: Was a question like this already done?

I would care but only in a positive wow that's great way and be glad they told me. They would still be the same friend and I would not treat them any differently.

hmmm i dont have a childhood friend. the oldest friend i have, of 4 years, is bi anyway

other: not be jealous of his/her courage, but admire it.

I'd be psyched that they were feeling good about being open.

How's about "Wouldn't be suprised" or "Would be happy" or "All my childhood friends *are* gay"? Mostly, I'd hope that this would be an empowering personal revalation for them - and I would be happy. All your explicit choices were negative! There's those prior assumptions leaking in again... [E, Coke *is* ramble-juice]

i haven't spoken to any of my childhood friends in years.

I wouldn't care especially but I'd be rather concerned for his wife and kid.

haven't got a childhood friend now; if I did, probably be shocked that I hadn't figured it out by now, but happy that they figured it out. It might make me queasy especially thoughts of whether they are attracted to me sexually or not.

So, they would still be my friend. Just don't get lovey dovey in from of me.

I have had this happen, and my reaction was that unless he was interested in me, it didn't make any difference as far as our friendship was concerned (I identify myself as primarily straight; I have never felt sufficiently attracted to another man to pursue a sexual relationship). As it turned out, our friendship grew closer/stronger after the revelation. Too bad we lost touch over the years and miles.

Wouldn't care. (Nothing hypothetical about this one... both of my best friends from high school "came out" after graduation. :)

If it was a good friend, I would hope I would know him/her enough to be able to tell. Otherwise, I guess I would be surprised ... I guess I assume a person is hetero in absence of other info. Hmmmm, I never noticed that before...

Of course I would =care=. Coming out tends to be a Big Deal (tm), so I guess mostly I would be pleased that they trusted me enough to come out to me.

A friend is a friend

nota

I'd probably be totally psyched - another one for our side!

I selected wouldn't care, but what I mean is that I wouldn't care what their sexuality was - I would care about how they had come to that realisation, why they had chosen to tell me then and not previously, how their family and other friends had taken the news... and so on.