My boyfriend (32m) has a best friend (40m) that is homophobic and my girlfriend (27f) is upset he’s still friends with him.

I met my boyfriend (32m) last October. Everything was going well and he’s been very open about his life. When we were first dating he mentioned to me that he has a best friend since grade school (36 years old). We were introduced and he welcomed me to his friend group. All was going well.<br><br>I have a girlfriend (27f) that I’ve been dating for a couple years. She was in the process of coming out to her family and we were open about being gay in the relationship. She was hesitant at first with letting him know, but I told her my boyfriend was totally fine with it - he grew up in a family that is very accepting of LGBTQ people. I told her about how much he liked queer artists and how he has a lot of respect for the community. My girlfriend was a bit skeptical, but we were open with our relationship after that.<br><br>He had known that my girlfriend and I have been seeing each other, and he was completely fine with it. We met his best friend (40 years old) and he was very welcoming as well. The problem is that the best friend and his wife are homophobic. When I was single, I hung out with them in the past, and they made some very homophobic comments in front of me. I was totally disgusted and stopped hanging out with them after that.<br><br>The first time all of us met was in May for my birthday. My boyfriend was very welcoming to my girlfriend, and my girlfriend was grateful that he was very accepting of us. But when my boyfriend’s best friend heard that my girlfriend and I were together, he made a face and went to the other side of the room. He didn’t say anything, but it was very awkward. After that, we stopped hanging out with him and his wife as a group.<br><br>The problem is that my boyfriend is friends with them still. He still sees them and hangs out with them separately. My girlfriend saw him and his best friend at a bar a couple weeks ago and asked why he’s still friends with someone who is homophobic. I don’t know what to say to her.<br><br>The explanation I gave was that my boyfriend has known him since grade school. His best friend was very welcoming to me when I met him, and he was a great friend to him growing up. He’s very loyal to his best friend and doesn’t want to judge him based on his political views. He’s also seen his best friend change politically over the years and become more conservative, but they haven’t let that stop them from being friends. My boyfriend also said that it’s none of his business to get involved in family matters, and he shouldn’t judge his best friend’s political views just because of something he said to me a long time ago.<br><br>My girlfriend wasn’t very happy with that explanation. She said if his best friend is homophobic and he’s still friends with them, that makes my boyfriend homophobic by proxy. She suggested that I stop seeing him because of it. I’m not sure. I like my boyfriend a lot and I don’t think he’s homophobic at all. I do think it’s not right that his best friend is homophobic and he’s still friends with them. I feel like I’m stuck in the middle and I don’t know what to do.<br><br>What should I say to my girlfriend? Should I ask my boyfriend to stop being friends with his best friend?<br><br>EDIT: A couple more things. 1. I (28m) was out of the closet a long time ago. My sexual orientation was announced at my high school graduation party in 2013. 2. His best friend (40m) made a couple of homophobic comments to me in year 2017 and then apologized later. His wife (39f) made her homophobic comments in 2018. After that, I made a full effort to avoid them and I was successful up until this year. 3. I’ve been discussing this issue with a lot of people in my life, and I’m just taking time to figure things out.