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Relationships

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I think my husband might be gay

179 replies

Jjlrb47922 · 09/06/2021 12:13

Looking for advice please. I think my husband might be gay or bisexual. We have been together for 20 years since we were teenagers. We are married with two children.
Don't want to go into too much detail but bit of background, he had a lot of gay friends when we first met and would go to gay clubs with them. I used to sometimes go too as there was a large group of us, some gay and some straight. Never saw anything suspicious from him. Once we'd been together a couple of years we lost touch with these friends as they moved away. We also stopped going out clubbing and moved in together. A couple of years later I came across a gay chat room window open on our pc. Somehow it got clicked off very quickly and I couldn't get back on it. Asked him about it, he said must have been an advert. Asked him was he gay /bisexual, said no. I thought this was strange.
Many years passed. Nothing else happened to raise any suspicions. We went on to get married and have 2 kids. We've never had a lot of sex and when we did it was very vanilla, but since having the kids we don't have sex at all and we sleep in separate rooms. (my idea as I snore). So there is no intimacy anymore.
It has still always been in the back of my mind and I would sometimes bring it up in a jokey way and he would deny. The lack of sex started to raise my suspicions further.

Fast forward to now, I have been away for a few days with the children. He stayed home to have his second covid vaccine and to decorate some rooms, which he has done. This morning I needed to go into his emails for something (which he allows me to to) and there was an order for a sex toy on there that is related to anal sex. With extra paid for next day delivery so it would arrive when I was away. Intrigued I looked further back over the past year and have found a couple of other things.
Nothing really indicates that he has cheated on me, he's a home body and is either at work or home with us, so I really don't know when he could actually meet up with someone. I don't know if these things are for self use only but it definitely related to gay men, not straight sex.
I have been in his room and searched every inch of it and can't find any of these items. I've also been through all of the bins outside. So they aren't here.

What do I do now? I want to confront him immediately when he gets in tonight but I don't know if that is a good idea, and the children will be here.
I am a sahm with no money of my own. He pays for everything. We have been drifting apart for years and I've been contemplating a split anyway. But I feel like I need to tread carefully and maybe gather further evidence but I don't know how. I don't have anyone to talk to about this in real life so really need some advice on how to tread with this.

Just a note, I know not all gay men are camp or "look gay" or anything like that, I don't want this to come a cross as offensive. But my husband is a rugged, big, masculine guy who is actually quite homophobic. No one would ever guess in a million years if he was

OP posts:
TurkeyRoastvBubbleandSqueek · 19/02/2022 07:13

OP has probably changed her name again so as not to be linked to these posts anymore, so I don't know if she would be aware that this thread has been activated again?

If you are aware that this thread is open again OP - whether through being notified, or just 'happening' upon it - it would be good of you to let us know what has happened in the last 7 to 8 months. I, and I am sure the PPs, would love to see that you are now in a much happier place, but if not, to show you more support. I think that you should be able to temporarily use one of the two names you used before in this thread, rather than having to find another new username.

NeverChange · 19/02/2022 07:26

He won't leave because he has a free house.

wingscrow · 19/02/2022 08:06

The reality is that your marriage is pretty much over at this stage, gay or not.

You need to make plans to end it and move on. It is not going to get any better and he already has moved on even if you are still under the same roof.

Your husband will have to pay to support his kids financially.

Everydaydayisaschoolday · 19/02/2022 08:16

[quote Jjlrb47922]@tempconcerns I have never teased him. I spoke about it in a light hearted way to push him into saying something. He is the homophobic one, not me.

I just with he would tell me the truth and we can both move on with our lives!!
When I do speak to him about it, I know 100% he will deny it or he will say its just for self play. But the damage is done because I can't trust him.
This puts me in the position of having to be the one to say I want to seperate. I wouldn't even know how to begin. I don't have a penny of my own. We couldn't stay in this house[/quote]
'Teasing in a light-hearted way to push him into saying something' is passive-aggressive behaviour bordering on bullying. If he is gay or bi and in denial about it 'light-hearted teasing' isn't going to help him come to terms with it.

He certainly sounds gay or bi. The homophobia is a symptom of this. Internalised homophobia is very common. The sufferers genuinely believe that their feeling are perverted and wrong, even immoral and it causes a great deal of unhappiness and self hatred. Again, 'light-hearted teasing' will make this worse.

His sexuality is irrelevant here. What is relevant is that you aren't happy in this relationship. Own this and initiate a separation based on what you want from life. Don't try and force him into making declarations he clearly doesn't want to make so you have an 'excuse' to make him leave.

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