. Ed Is bi, but for a long time did not understand his own sexuality due to his secluded rural upbringing and having a very glossed over sexual education outside of medical text books at winry’s house. He had little education on the subject, but knew gay people existed and had no prejudice against them(amestrian homophobia is more based in ignorance rather than people considering it taboo as the cultures that pushed that doctrine do not exist in this world). He didn’t know being bi was a thing and that you couldn’t turn however. He started realizing he liked men as well after he had married winry and was terrified that he was turning gay and would break her heart, or that he some how tricked himself into being straight and thus tricked her. He felt so guilty and worried over this that as a result he didn’t admit this to anyone for over 5 years, during that time he mentally shamed himself, tried to overcompensate masculinity wise, and developed even more anxiety than he already had. This put strain on his and Winry’s relationship. Finally he came out to Al about it after a fight broke out between Winry and Ed. Al and Winry had to calm him down and explain to him what being bisexual is and that he wasn’t betraying Winry, lying to her, hurting her, or anything by liking men regardless of if he still held attraction to her or not. The sense of relief was immediate and his and Winry’s relationship improved, although therapy was needed to recover from his self inflicted anxiety over the whole thing.

This isn’t a headcanon. Headcanons should have some grounding in canon content based on context provided. Ed is not bi. This is a projection of your own feelings and what you perceive as “homophobia” and rural culture that in reality is not accurate. I suspect you’re too young to understand what an absolutely heinous and selfish act of betrayal this would be to Winry and their marriage, and it’s not something anyone can explain to you before you’re in the stage of your life where you have a deeper understanding of emotional, intellectual, and physical intimacy in relationships. Even the most pro-LGBT people change their minds when something like this happens to directly to them if they have any self-respect and perspective whatsoever. I watched a friend go down this path recently when his narcissistic, lying wife came out with this same tidbit of information. I cannot even begin to convey his devastation and the damage her dishonesty caused their marriage. The conclusion is that they’re getting divorced, and while he still tries to justify it because he’s been conditioned to believe she’s the victim in this, he’s struggling.

Because deep down, he knows better. Real life and real relationships aren’t half-assed ideologies.

No amount of therapy or preaching of “tolerance” can justify an entire relationship being built on a lie. It’s unbelievably toxic and manipulative to even suggest that and expect the other person to be okay with it, even if it’s currently trendy to do so. I don’t care if it’s not fully understood by one or both parties. There’s absolutely no love or fairness in it towards the other person. I wouldn’t want that for a straight person, and I wouldn’t want that for a gay one either.

There’s also a reason most women won’t date a bisexual man, and it has nothing to do with “homophobia.”

People need to be honest about their sexuality from the start. That is non-negotiable. If they’re not mature or strong enough to do that, they have no business being in a relationship.

If this had even the smallest degree of likelihood in canon, I would hope Winry–being the strong, capable, and compassionate woman she is and not being a doormat–would have the self-respect to divorce him, because what trust and intimacy she would’ve thought they had would be shattered in a far worse way than him developing an interest in other women ever could. You can potentially work through a mistake with another woman. You can’t work through something that was a lie from the start, and your significant other deserves better.

Please don’t do this to someone. Ever.

this popped up enough times that it warranted a response makes me absolutely ill to read.