Platonic friendships last longer at arm’s length

FULL marks to Hugh Farrelly for his article on platonic male-female relationships (‘The lonely life of an Ug-man,’ Irish Examiner, July 7).

The ‘fag hag’ syndrome, as he puts it (where straight women socialise with gay men and frequently become best friends) would seem to be thriving in the gay bars I have visited in Dublin and Cork.

As far as I am concerned, the women are most welcome. They are usually well-dressed, well-behaved, and best of all, leave their hooligan straight boyfriends at home so they can enjoy a ‘girly’ night out in a gay bar. If only they would stop trying to ‘convert’ us!