The trusty website, UrbanDictionary.com, has several definitions for the term lesbro:
1. A man who has more friendships with lesbians than other women or men.
2. The male equivalent of a fag hag.
3. A heterosexual man who is either one or both of the following: a brother to one or more lesbian sisters, or, friends with a disproportionate amount of homosexual women. “Wow, your brother really only hangs out with gay girls, doesn’t he! And you’re a big gay yourself, sister! What a lesbro you’ve got there!”
To us, a lesbro is a little bit of all, but at his core, a lesbro is a male friend to at least one, but possibly several, lesbians. This column shares a little bit about some famous lesbros that we love.
This week’s Lesbro: Ryan M. Johnson.
Ryan M. Johnson is a professional ice hockey player. He’s been in the NHL for 14 seasons, and currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. Off the ice, he’s also into writing, music, horses and cooking, and says he would love to have more time for these passions after he retires.
AfterEllen.com: Of the above three definitions of a lesbro, which do you think describes you best?
Ryan Johnson: Actually, none of the above. There is no guideline or reason why my lesbian friends are in my life. It is strictly a case of what they stand for as a person and the qualities that make them who they are.
AE: What is the best thing about your lesbian friend/s?
RJ: The best thing for me is how convicted they are in their beliefs and who they are as a person. They have that “this is who i am, and if you don’t like it, f–k off” attitude.
AE: Do you think that having lesbian friends has anything to do with where you fall on the Kinsey scale? Care to comment on your own sexuality?
RJ: Not at all. When I meet somebody that has a similar way of living their life or that I can relate to on many different level, their race, sexual orientation, political view, religious beliefs are absolutely irrelevant. I am a zero on the Kinsey Scale.
AE: What stereotype about lesbians have you found to be false?
RJ: The stereotype that I feel most misrepresents lesbians is that all of them have a certain type of look.
AE: What do you think it is specifically that draws you towards being friends with lesbians?
RJ: It is not the fact that they are lesbians. I was always taught that if i surround myself with the highest quality of people in my life, that the odds of me having a successful journey were great. The lesbians in my life are truly incredible human beings.
AE: How has your girlfriend responded to your friendships with lesbians?
RJ: Some woman have difficulty with their man having a relationship of any sort with another woman. In saying that, the biggest turn off to me when meeting a woman is insecurity. If a girl has a problem with me being friends with lesbians – not for me.
AE: Have you known any professional female or male hockey players who are gay and in the closet? When same sex marriage became legal in Canada did it have any affect on them coming out?
RJ: I do not know of any guys that I have played with that were openly gay. Whether that exists, remains to be seen. You have seen in some other sports (football), where guys have waited to retire before they came out of the closet.
Keep up with Ryan Johnson’s career at NHL.com.
