My answer is definitely yes. But it was not always so.
I have evolved since high school when I admit, succumbing to weakness to adhere to peer pressure, I avoided hanging with a childhood friend who probably could have used my support and friendship. But I bailed. I felt shitty about it. But that is the past now.
He's gay, has somewhat "feminine" mannerisms, and had a rough ride through his late childhood and teens because of taunts and ill mannered louts making jokes about him.
When we were in elementary school I was a steady friend and defender. We were bright kids and were involved in student council, were altar boys, and had interests in theatre and art. He just could not play sports well, so there we had no common ground. There were 6 girls and 4 boys including myself who used to meet regularly to plan and write and perform comedy skits and a school play. (He has gone on to achieve noteworthy success in the entertainment industry). We were the seemingly wholesome overachievers in a typical rural community.
As a teen we bused to the city high school, and there I gradually distanced myself, not because of any sexual attraction either way, but because I lacked the character and self confidence to not care what my other friends (the typical teenage asshole hetero ones) thought of me hanging out with him. So he chummed mostly with the girls and the theatre arts types in high school.
We have talked a few times in our 30's and 40's, generally when we saw each other in our hometown at Christmas, or when we both lived in the same city and both had ailing or dying parents. We reached out to connect and support each other. And I offered my regrets about my past failings as a friend. He was pretty gracious. He talked about how much he hated living through that period and could not wait to get out of that hellhole of a town.
I have several gay friends in my social network, but none I am particularly close with today. Actually, I seldom see my few close friends these days, being pretty isolated socially. Working at a home office and family consumes most of my time.
There are some posters here who I admire for their wit, wisdom and candour whose company I'd probably find fascinating. That includes gay, straight and bisexual orientations.
