Are men empaths too? What about gay people?

I’ve seen this question asked, and I raised my eyebrows, thinking that I had never assigned gender, or sexual preference, etc, to if someone is an empath or not.

Fact is, empathy occurs in all walks of life. Men can be just as empathic as women, and straight people can be just as empathic as gay people.

I believe that while we are generally empathic by nature, the Empath is borne from having to be aware of the danger around them.

This generally starts at childhood, where there may be great trauma or danger around them. It might be child abuse, sexual abuse, incest, domestic violence, bullying, and all those things that make our childhood hell.

The child learns to become aware of warning signs, so they can try to avoid them. They will learn to sense the mood at home, even before they get there. They will learn to detect the energies of places and if they are safe or nurturing, even if they aren’t aware they are doing this.

Empaths appear to be a product of their environment, though that does not mean that there aren’t natural born empaths.

The problem is that those who are borne from childhood trauma are mostly unaware of what they have become. They do not realize they are extremely sensitive. They do not understand why others can’t see what they see, or feel what they feel. They do not realize that the depression and anxiety they feel is not how they should be feeling. They don’t get that others are not feeling the same way.

And if they eventually do come to that realization, they don’t understand it’s because they are an Empath.

Friends and families will tell them they are just too sensitive. Others will tell them to ‘get over it’, as though that advise is useful in any way.

Women are said to be more in tune with their feelings and abilities then men. For the most part, this is my observation, too, though there are certainly men who are just as sensitive.

Gender and sexual preference do not make an empath, though they possibly may enhance that ability.