How can you tell if your girl friend is gay?

I have been asked many times by "newbies" comming out, "How can you tell if your girl friend is gay? or How can you tell if a girl is gay ro not? I felt this is a topic that many can relate to. Sometimes friendships between girls can become very close and you can see that in how they carry themselves in their body language, eye contact and even in their verbal language. Here are some tips that may help you:

Watch the body language. This is usually a definite giveaway. Does your friend brush against you or touch you very often? Does she often stand very close to you, and look at you a lot? Test this out when you're together, and test this out when you see her with other girls. Make sure you don't make a mistake though. Sometimes she may just be looking at you because you're wearing a new outfit, and brushing against someone is an action used with most, if not all good friends.

Think about the way she talks. Does she often hit on you or other girls jokingly? Is she flirtatious? Consider the way she is when talking to other girls - how close she is, her eye contact, and read her body language. Think about all of it carefully and see if anything is crossing the friendship line.

Check for rainbows. Rainbows are a gay/lesbian symbol. Many gay people wear a rainbow bracelet, anklet and/or necklace. Other places where people place "pride" rainbows are: on bumper stickers, on clothing, in/as tattoos, on backpacks, on laptops, etc. Keep your eyes peeled for them - but don't jump to conclusions.

Watch her reaction to people who are gay/lesbian. Does she seem absolutely disgusted about it or is she relaxed? Use your brains, though; sometimes she may be pretending to be disgusted with the idea in an effort to hide her true feelings. She may also be lesbian if she seems very uptight and nervous about the topic. Be sure to take into account what kind of a person she is. In addition, many straight people are unaffected by exposure to gays and lesbians, so be careful to factor this into your conclusion.

Be forthright and ask. If, after looking for these signs, you still aren't sure, and even if you are 99 percent sure, you need to ask her. Be careful though, it may be a touchy subject if she is still confused or feels cornered by your question. If you do ask, make sure it is in a way that makes it clear that you'll be supportive of her, whatever she answers.