Absolutely NOT ok. Not ok.

You are treating this person as a "place holder" until you meet someone who checks all the boxes you want for a truly compatible relationship.

How can you do that with a clear conscience? That's really selfish on your part.

You even sound apathetic about it. Like, I don't mind dating this person whom I have zero attraction to, but I'm worried I'll get caught and have to deal with fallout that will be unpleasant for me to experience. That's the way I read the tone of your post.

First, this is dishonest on a basic level. If you're truly 'best friends' with this person, then you should tell him/her immediately that you're not really sexually attracted to them. If he/she is your 'best friend' they will appreciate the fact that you respect him/her enough to be upfront and honest.

Second, if you choose to hide this significant truth, it will come back to bite you and will not only destroy the romantic connection, but will also destroy the 'best friend' connection, most likely permanently. Because, it's betrayal on every level, to hide the truth from someone you label as 'best friend.'

If are scared to be honest and respect this person enough to tell them your truth -- that you have sexual dysfunction (from medication or other causes), then they will definitely lose respect and trust in you.

I went through this with a guy I dated for 8 months. When he finally told me he liked me but didn't love me and had lied to me for 8 months telling me things he thought I wanted to hear, well, I was devastated and I felt betrayed and angry. Needless to say, he got married a couple months after we broke up, to another woman he didn't have that problem with.

So, it could be that you are lonely and hate being single, and want to be in a couple no matter what the cost is for your 'best friend.' If that is the case, I'd encourage you to look inward and examine why you would sacrifice your 'best friend' to get your own emotional needs met at his/her expense.

No it's never ok or justifiable to lie to someone especially when it comes to dating. Why on earth would you date someone you're not attracted to? That's just wrong on so many levels. If I sound unsympathetic, it's because I am, having been manipulated and lied to by the guy I described in my response here. He had a choice: he didn't have to lie to me. He could have kept our connection platonic and not misled me the way that he did...all because he was lonely.

Do you know how common this is? People 'pretend' to be attracted to someone just b/c they are lonely, bored, or want to hide their real sexuality from the public. Gay people in straight relationships, is a perfect example of dating someone you're not attracted to.

Or, you're so lonely that you enter into a dating relationship with someone you like a lot, but are repulsed by or have no attraction to, b/c it's better than the alternative of being alone. Yet, the other person's feelings or desires never come into your consideration b/c the end goal is for you to avoid dealing with the truth of why you're doing this.