Yes they can ... so long as there are no hidden agendas! I once started out as friends with a woman she actually became my best friends ... and for a multitude of reasons we became a couple. Best relationship of my life and though it is over ( as well as the friendship ... for a multitude of reasons ) I wouldn't have changed a thing. Being friends first gave me an insight I'd never had before!

Yes, they can. Most of my friends, ‘real’ and on-line, are women. Twas ever thus, even when I was a sapling.

Many years ago, 30 to be precise, I had a little fling with someone who was absolutely gorgeous. For a variety of reasons things didn't work out but the relationship evolved and we went in different directions but stayed in touch and stayed friends, after a couple of years of realigning things. She and her third husband were witnesses to my own marriage and she is supporting adult to my youngest daughter. So I would have to say yes

Yes.

I admit there are instances when some time must pass and I have to get thoughts out of my system, but unless I get a "vibe" I can get past it.

For me, the sex thing is almost but not always there to some degree or other, but that doesn't mean I won't be "just friends" with someone of the opposite sex. I just accept that, every now and then, things might be awkward on account of it.

I have female friends with no thoughts of anything more and have had female friends that I also found attractive but made no difference to our friendship.

During the last 13 yrs horrendous relationship I was accused of having an affair with every female I looked at as my girlfriend thought that men and women can't just be friends. Ironically she was having affairs behind my back and kept saying "we're jsut friends etc." when I confronted her about the affairs lol.

Yes they can.

The issue is that people forget that a supportive platonic relationships will usually endure times when one or both participants are lonely or sad and that support can turn into romanticism. You need two people both more interested in being supportive than getting laid. It's rare because just like everything else in humanity, most people are weak.

yes

I think it is probably individual. I’m sure others have much more self control than I do. When I was actively on the dating scene I had a very lackadaisical approach to both my feelings and others as well. I had very little control over my desires and my passions. I did what I wanted without regard to others feelings.
Sometimes the decline of the platonic aspect has been pretty equally distributed as well. If it wasn’t me pursuing the urges that I had trouble controlling, it was her.
This may be a coincidence too, I can’t say it’s impossible. But for me, literally every time, it has ended with some sort of sexual situation, some of which didn’t end in sex, but rather a decision to keep it platonic, making everything that much more awkward.

I have some friends that are guys. I have my friend with benefits, he's now just a friend.

You can't put together gas and fire unless..... I rest my case

Anything is possible.

Yes, it appears that straight men and women can be "just" friends. I have a number of female friends with whom romantic entanglements are strictly off-the-table. That doesn't mean I find them unattractive in the slightest, but it does mean that I will refrain from pursuing sexual or romantic interests -- mostly because I don't want to screw up what is a mutually beneficial friendship.

(Singing Why Can't We Be Friends) Joking aside there, of course straight men and women can be friends, I currently have platonic relationships with a few women.

Yes. One if my best friends is a woman. Believe me nothing has ever happened with her, and she is very cute. It is all about chemistry. We have been good friends for more than 20 years.

My best friend of 12 years is a male, we have a really close platonic relationship. He's just all around a fantastic individual. I'd never have sex with him though.

I've never found it to be a problem. Some of my friends I can make crude comments to and flirt with, and with some that wouldn't be comfortable. As long as there's respect for each others boundaries, why not?