"I'm not gay...but my boyfriend is" - In this month’s Instinct magazine, editor Parker Ray (who inexplicably changed his name from the perfectly respectable Ben Rogers) tells critics of a feature on "straight men in a gay relationship" to fuck off. Now, it's not that I don't respect a man's right to label himself in any way he likes -- that's an entirely separate issue. But I do question how being a straight guy with a boyfriend affects the relationship. If you boyfriend is gay and you are not, what does that say to the boyfriend about the long-term prospects? What does that say to your family and friends about the importance and permanence of this person in your life? How do you explain in shorthand what this person means to you?

These straight guys are not with their gay partners merely because of situational convenience -- they aren't in an artificially enforced same-sex environment like a prison. The straight men claimed that they simply fell in love with another person who happened to be a man. It was the soul they fell for, not the outer package. Okay, sounds weak to me, but I’ll go along with it for the sake of argument. The thing is, "gay" is the most accurate label for these guys. They aren't just "men who have sex with men." It is an ongoing, loving, romantic relationship, not just a sexual encounter. The guys profiled in the article call their significant other "boyfriend," not "fuck buddy." These are relationships out in the public, not on the down low. I know that "gay" is a relatively recent concept, and that being labeled bothers some people, but don't be offended, Ben Rogers, if people assume you're gay because your boyfriend is. Perhaps you've seen the novelty t-shirt? Clearly, based on the criticism the magazine has received other gay men agree with me. But what do you, dear Beaverhausen readers, think?