If you are truly meeting that person where they're at as they are, it can work. If you have any ideas other than acceptance, it will not be possible. There are so many hard topics that couples avoid entirely because they don't want to actually deal with the reality of it which is that it might not work out. I think why a lot of people tend to fall into situations like this and both parties are either too scared or unwilling in some regard to define the relationship. It's just one of those typical situations where one party is being very clear about what they're looking for.