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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Telling a woman about her husband’s gay affairs...

225 replies

saturnaliand · 08/11/2021 10:31

First off, I don’t actually intend on telling her anything, although I could.

I guess I’d be interested in knowing if you’d want to know if this were your man?

The man I’m referring to is middle-aged and was upfront with his wife from the beginning that he’d had gay relationships and she was ok with this in a kind of ‘as long as you tell me and do not lie’ kind of way. That’s easy to agree to when you’re young, in love (with a woman you want to marry) and not intending on doing anything with anyone else, male or female.

It’s harder when you’re older, children almost grown up, sex life with the wife non-existent and you were gay to begin with. This isn’t some new thing he’s been experimenting with, he’s always been gay but he wanted the normality (apologies for the word) of being in a heterosexual relationship as he disliked the gay lifestyle and was regularly cheated on by the boyfriends he’d had when single.

Marrying a woman who was a lot less likely to cheat and he could have a family with seemed the better option.

He’s had some flings over the last few years or so and has recently started a new one as the last one was cut short because of the lockdowns and pandemic. Rather than go back to the previous boyfriend (if that’s the right term), he joined one of the popular hookup sites (Fabguys.com I think) and has met someone from there.

They meet regularly under the guise of going to the gym and often book hotels for the other workouts they enjoy. They go for meals, to the theatre and it’s a real ‘bromance’. The new boyfriend is also married to a woman and has a family.

To the outside world, this man is just a respectable married man with a family, but he has a controlling personality that he seems to reserve for his boyfriends. One of his ex-boyfriends that he’s had during his marriage needed therapy to get over his possessiveness, his jealousy, his moodiness and his constant need for attention as well as the cruel way the boyfriend was dumped and replaced with another.

Some of his behaviour to his boyfriends is borderline ‘gas-lighting’ behaviour.

His wife sees a totally different side, the nice side, as do his children and, so far, the new boyfriend.

This man hasn’t no intention of leaving his wife or nice lifestyle and presumably no intention of confirming her suspicions that’s he has a new boyfriend. She’s not known about any of them, just has suspicions.

He doesn’t see he’s doing anything wrong as he’s not getting sex at home, his wife knows he’s gay and has a new best friend. She just doesn’t know for certain that her husband and his new mate are lovers.

If you were his wife, would you want to know?

OP posts:
Northernparent68 · 08/11/2021 13:44

Op, your level of knowledge and interest is unhealthy- your friend knew he was having an affair with a married man,

AveryGoodlay · 08/11/2021 13:47

Also, if you're the man in this scenario, live out and proud.

If you're the friend you need a life of your own. You're too heavily invested in all these details of someone else's life. It's creepy.

Lenabitmoore · 08/11/2021 13:50

To be honest if I was the wife I'd want to know how you have such an intimate knowledge of my marriage and my husband's every tiniest character trait and sexual encounters with other people regardless of their sex. Almost stalkerish knowledge actually.

saturnaliand · 08/11/2021 13:56

@AveryGoodlay

Well, he’s not had sex with his wife for many years and doesn’t cheat on her with other women, so I guess he’s on the gay side of bisexual whilst maybe not being 100% gay. How do you know? Most people who have affairs say they aren't having sex with their spouse. Nearly all of them are not only still having sex, but having more sex due to having a higher sex drive.
Nothing can be known for sure in terms of if the husband and the wife still have sex or if they don’t, why the husband doesn’t suggest the wife has a lover.
OP posts:
saturnaliand · 08/11/2021 13:59

@Lenabitmoore

To be honest if I was the wife I'd want to know how you have such an intimate knowledge of my marriage and my husband's every tiniest character trait and sexual encounters with other people regardless of their sex. Almost stalkerish knowledge actually.
It’s the experience of someone who’s had a fling/affair with someone who’s married and as part of dealing with the aftermath has shared it with a friend, ie. me.

This is to help someone get over something, although of course getting involved with a married man was never going to end well.

OP posts:
Lampzade · 08/11/2021 14:03

Op, what you need to do is myob ( whether you are the ex boyfriend or the friend of the ex boyfriend).
The man’s wife obviously knows that he is sleeping with men and has decided to stay married to him. Marriages can be complex and are not all based on sex. Companionship, respect, friendship are sometimes the heart of a ‘good ‘marriage .

You are overly invested in this man’s love life.
Do yourself a favour and let sleeping dogs lie

Beefcurtains79 · 08/11/2021 14:19

Your ‘friend’ was a side piece, and has now been replaced with another side piece. Ouch.
Whilst I understand that has stung his ego, he needs to move on, stop sleeping with married men and then playing the victim when it predictably doesn’t go the way he wants.

AcrossthePond55 · 08/11/2021 14:31

Here's the thing, you said in your OP that the wife knew about his homosexual relationships from the beginning and that she was 'ok' with it ‘as long as you tell me and do not lie’. So she knows, trust me, she knows. Every new 'friend' he's had during their marriage, every night out or weekend away 'with my mates' is someone or something she's undoubtedly viewed with suspicion and then probably resignation that it's someone he's sleeping with.

You say 'easy to agree with when you're young and in love' but in actuality it's easier to live with it after years of 'investment' in the marriage and your children. Much easier to turn a blind eye when there would be so much upheaval in your and your children's lives and when you have so much to lose. So again, she knows and she's made her peace with it. I don't agree with infidelity at all, but in this situation I hope she's carved out her own bit of a love life, whatever that may mean to her.

I'm one of the biggest shouters of TELL TELL TELL, but she already knows and has been living with it for years. And since she already knows that he's been cheating their whole married life, what would be gained by 'rubbing her nose it in'? I think your real purpose in telling would be to get this cheater 'into trouble' and cause him the discomfort and emotional pain that he put your friend through. Don't use this man's wife as a weapon.

ESGdance · 08/11/2021 14:32

@Beefcurtains79

Your ‘friend’ was a side piece, and has now been replaced with another side piece. Ouch. Whilst I understand that has stung his ego, he needs to move on, stop sleeping with married men and then playing the victim when it predictably doesn’t go the way he wants.
I think this is where you shouldn’t concentrate your efforts - closer to home.

How is your friend - the ex boyfriend?

What does he want you to do and why?

If he tells the wife is it because he cares for her or is vexatious and punishing his x lover?

Faevern · 08/11/2021 18:29

She knows just like Mrs Schofield knew.

Me personally would want to know if my DP was having an affair, man or woman.

However if we had an arrangement and it suited me then it would make no difference if you told me or not.

Your friend needs to get over it and delete the texts. Is there a reason you didn’t think to post this when your friend was having the affair with this man?

saturnaliand · 08/11/2021 18:56

My friend is ok at the moment and whilst not expecting any sympathy, it’s still been a hard thing to go through. The L word was used by the married man at one point, so it wasn’t just a fling at its peak.

There were feelings on both sides.

If he were to tell the wife (very unlikely) it wouldn’t be as vindictive revenge against the husband, more to somehow force the husband into making some proper choices and maybe even giving the wife the chance to find someone for herself.

He could also acknowledge that the ex-boyfriends he’s had over the years were people with feelings. I get that they’re silly to get involved with married men.

Would there be more sympathy on here for a woman who’d been with a married guy?

If what we think to be true is actually true, she’s clearly lacked intimacy for a number of years whilst he’s been filling his boots.

That’s assuming she’s felt she missed out. She might not have and might have married a gay man knowing in the end the sex would be had elsewhere once the children were born,

As it stands, maybe she’s waiting for the children to leave him so she can divorce him and take the house and his pension, none of us have any idea of course.

Only she knows what she’d do.

OP posts:
youvegottenminuteslynn · 08/11/2021 19:21

Would there be more sympathy on here for a woman who’d been with a married guy?

No, she would get her arse handed to her too for knowingly having sex with a married man and believing the textbook 'we don't have sex anymore' line is true. You can check any OW thread.

It isn't an anti-men response you've had on here, it's an anti-cheating one.

Lenabitmoore · 08/11/2021 19:24

@saturnaliand

My friend is ok at the moment and whilst not expecting any sympathy, it’s still been a hard thing to go through. The L word was used by the married man at one point, so it wasn’t just a fling at its peak.

There were feelings on both sides.

If he were to tell the wife (very unlikely) it wouldn’t be as vindictive revenge against the husband, more to somehow force the husband into making some proper choices and maybe even giving the wife the chance to find someone for herself.

He could also acknowledge that the ex-boyfriends he’s had over the years were people with feelings. I get that they’re silly to get involved with married men.

Would there be more sympathy on here for a woman who’d been with a married guy?

If what we think to be true is actually true, she’s clearly lacked intimacy for a number of years whilst he’s been filling his boots.

That’s assuming she’s felt she missed out. She might not have and might have married a gay man knowing in the end the sex would be had elsewhere once the children were born,

As it stands, maybe she’s waiting for the children to leave him so she can divorce him and take the house and his pension, none of us have any idea of course.

Only she knows what she’d do.

And you honestly think someone who has been living this double life for as long as he has, is suddenly going to make better life choices if you tell his wife?
rwalker · 08/11/2021 19:31

Stay out of it doubt any of this would be a surprise to her.

AcrossthePond55 · 08/11/2021 19:43

If he were to tell the wife (very unlikely) it wouldn’t be as vindictive revenge against the husband, more to somehow force the husband into making some proper choices and maybe even giving the wife the chance to find someone for herself.

Horseshit. Don't try to put a halo on your head. You can try to spin it all you like, but the motive is still revenge. Just what 'proper choices' would this man 'be forced' to make that wouldn't potentially negatively impact his wife and possibly force her into making choices she doesn't want to make. She has found peace with this, perhaps an uneasy peace, but still peace.

Perhaps it would be different if she had no idea he was leading a double life and/or if you knew that he was engaging in unsafe sex practices and so endangering her health. But that's not what you're saying, you're just saying that perhaps she should be told that he's cheating. She already knows that.

Unreasonabubble · 08/11/2021 19:49

I thought Philip Schofield had already come out...

Notmoresugar · 08/11/2021 19:50

No, I wouldn’t tell her.

My view is probably quite harsh, in that she should have had the sense to know in the first place what she could potentially be dealing with and if she didn’t know then, I bet she’s fully aware now.

I don’t know if you’re male or female, but usually women have very sharp spidey instincts.

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/11/2021 20:50

“I’m a good friend of one of the previous boyfriends who’s still in touch mainly by text, emails and phone, but not seeing or having sex with, the man in question.”

In which case neither you nor the former boyfriend have any reason to be involved.

AreYouRightThereSkippy · 08/11/2021 20:56

Nah, leave them alone. You don't know what he might have agreed with his wife.

The controlling possessiveness with boyfriends is horrible obviously, so I definitely see why you might want to let her know about that...but she probably doesn't involve herself in his extramarital relationships.

Dery · 08/11/2021 22:11

“Would there be more sympathy on here for a woman who’d been with a married guy?

No, she would get her arse handed to her too for knowingly having sex with a married man and believing the textbook 'we don't have sex anymore' line is true. You can check any OW thread.

It isn't an anti-men response you've had on here, it's an anti-cheating one.”

This with bells on.

saturnaliand · 08/11/2021 22:26

@youvegottenminuteslynn

Would there be more sympathy on here for a woman who’d been with a married guy?

No, she would get her arse handed to her too for knowingly having sex with a married man and believing the textbook 'we don't have sex anymore' line is true. You can check any OW thread.

It isn't an anti-men response you've had on here, it's an anti-cheating one.

Not sure what an OW thread is, but I accept what you say.
OP posts:
ThePlantsitter · 08/11/2021 22:35

Your interest seems salacious to be honest.

You can't possibly know everything or even a small portion of what this couple's life is really like. Everything you say is based on the mist simplistic of possible interpretations. You assume that someone who is horrible to his boyfriends is nice to his wife. Doubt it. They never have sex. Doubt it. Thus guy was up front about being gay and his wife to be was all right about it. Doubt it. Woman marries gay man just to have children and once that is done is happy to live a sexless life. Doubt it.

Besides all of that, it's just absolutely 100% none of your or anyone else's business. It's their life.

Lightswitch123 · 08/11/2021 22:39

I'd be worried about STDs

youvegottenminuteslynn · 08/11/2021 22:49

OW thread as in a thread written by the 'other woman' in a scenario.

BruiserWoods · 08/11/2021 22:53

@GrandOld

Best friend - yes I'd tell them.

A random women - no I wouldn't.

Good answer.

If i am her friend i cannot collude with her being drafted in to play the part of 'wife'
She has one life.