Interracial dating is something that couples experience differently. Read now to find out some of the strange things I have experienced.

Things you probably didn’t know about dating another race

When dating another race, sometimes the experience can be full of surprises. If you’re accustomed to being an interracial couple, you know what I’m talking about. There could be differences in skin tone, language, food choices, religion — You name it.

There are plenty of interracial dating differences when you diversify your dating. I want to dig into some things I have experienced that a lot of people don’t like to talk about.

Interracial dating pros and cons

Interracial dating has its own ups and downs. Let’s mix things as we explore interracial dating pros and interracial dating cons of different aspects of interracial dating.

1. Dating outside of your race helps the society

Pro: I feel like my dating another race is helping humans evolve by not doing the same-old intraracial dating. As the saying goes— Change is good! And I believe that I am among the people who have influenced others to be more accepting of interracial relationships. More people are accepting diversity and I have made a contribution to this progress.

Con: There is still some social stigma, especially within my family. They’re not racist per se. But they would have a hard time knowing the guy I’m dating is Muslim. I keep things kind of under wraps because my mom is a hard-core Christian. It just makes things easier. I don’t like the sneaking around though.

2. Open-mindedness can be challenging for interracial couples and the people around them

Pro: Interracial dating is helping me be more open-minded about everything. I love trying new foods. Shawarma is one of the best inventions in human history – not to mention the other spices my boyfriend uses in his dishes.

Con: Dealing with assumptions from all around can be challenging. My relationship is built on love, but I sometimes wonder what people think when they see us together. Much as people are generally friendly, you never know when something stupid is going to come out of someone’s mouth.

3. Religion can get in the way

Pro:

My boyfriend is Muslim and I am Christian. One thing I am sure he loves me for who I am is because he doesn’t fuss about it. His religion doesn’t bother me either.

Con: I’m not religious, and he’s a hard-core Muslim who prays several times per day. We’re not together when he does this, but it’s much different from my meditation and my other spiritual practices. I brought up our differences, and he said we didn’t have to talk about it and I’m ok with that.

4. Sexual speeds can be different for interracial relationships

Pro: We’ve taken things very slowly due to his religious nature. I’ve never spent 3 years with someone without sex. It’s a breath of fresh air, and I know he likes me for me and not because we have crazy hot monkey sex. It’s more than that.

Con: Not having sex is an issue for me since I love having sex and I miss it. His conservative nature too slow for me. I miss the  But when it does happen, I am sure it will be based on love and not lust. It’s something different, that’s for sure.

5. The freedom to date interracially doesn’t always mean freedom

Pro: It makes me appreciate the freedom we have in the United States. I’m thankful that here, people are free to date who they want.

Con: My boyfriend has family in Libya, and for them, it is a constant struggle. The chaos never seems to end. Even though I love my partner and love him being here, he seems afraid to leave the country to see them. He believes if he does he would not be able to come back to the US because he is scared they won’t accept me.

Plus, he’s not a US Citizen. He came here as a student and is kind-of stuck here. He likes it here but misses his family. It’s hard to see that he wants to go home and he can’t risk that at the moment.

6. Time is an important aspect

Pro: We cherish each moment— We both know how important it is to appreciate our time together.

Con: There’s no threat of him being kicked out of the country, but what if something happens and he has to leave for some reason? That’s one of the biggest challenges of our relationship. We never know when our time will be up.

7. Space can bring you closer when dating interracially

Pro: We still live separately. I like my space.

Con: He runs a Middle Eastern restaurant. And in that business money is tight. Sometimes I feel like he works a lot too. But it works for me because I need some time to alone to focus on my career.

So that said I genuinely believe that love is all colors. Love isn’t pegged on skin tones or religions. And if you want to get your toes wet, you can meet lots of people from intercultural dating sites. It’s such an easy way to connect with people looking to form meaningful interracial connections.

The difference between interracial dating and dating someone from your small hometown is that you  will grow more than you ever could imagine.

Here is an article you might find interesting about interracial couples and money issues …