Is a Gay Relationship Okay If It’s Not Physical?

It’s clear that Scripture and the teaching of the Church condemn physical homosexual acts.

But what about being romantically involved with a same-sex partner without getting physical? Is that also wrong?

The short answer is “Yes.”

But, first, let’s point out that merely experiencing a temptation is not a sin. If you have a romantic or sexual attraction to people of the same sex, that’s not sinful as long as you don’t consent to it or intentionally fuel it. We can’t always control our temptations, but we can control whether or not we give in.

The reason why romantic relationships with someone of the same sex are sinful — even if they’re not physical — is because you are still giving yourself to someone in a way that God reserved for a married man and woman.

God intended for one man and woman to give themselves in marriage in a way that is exclusive physically AND emotionally. After all, marriage is not merely a physical relationship — it also creates a deep emotional bond between the couple.

That’s why it’s also wrong to have romantic relationships with those of the opposite sex when you’re already married to someone else, even if those relationships are not physical.

Also, romantic feelings are designed to eventually culminate in physical intimacy. By trying to have a romantic same-sex relationship without a physical component, you are just courting disaster. Either you’ll eventually succumb to the temptation to get physical, or you’ll drive yourself crazy with yearnings of physical intimacy that can never be fulfilled.

There’s no winning in this scenario. The only solution is to keep your same-sex relationships 100% chaste and friendship based.