Feeling a bit lost as a Muslim revert
As-salamu alaykum. I’m a revert who grew up in a mostly female household-11 women, and the few men around weren’t really there much. So I naturally picked up some traits that might seem a bit feminine. I’ve always felt more at ease around girls and women, and that carried on through school, so I never really had a chance to build a friendship with a guy. Alhamdulillah, I embraced Islam a few years back, and I already had a lot of friends, many of whom I still have. But because of my upbringing, making friends with brothers has been tough. It feels awkward, and I’m just not into stuff like cars or football that a lot of them seem to enjoy. Some brothers have told me I need to stop being friends with the sisters I’ve known for years. Some of them are Muslim, and a few were actually part of the reason I came to Islam. I feel torn. I struggle to befriend guys because we don’t click, but apparently having female friends as a man isn’t allowed. I also want to be honest: I’m part of the queer community and identify as bisexual. I know that might be hard for some in the Muslim community to accept, but it’s my reality, and I don’t want to pretend to be someone else just to fit in. I’ve found that some brothers aren’t willing to just talk to me in a friendly, mature way. So I’m stuck. Either I distance myself from everyone for the sake of my faith, which feels overwhelming, or I keep going like this until maybe one day I marry a sister who could become my closest friend. Any advice? Jazakum Allahu khayran.