Kiss Me Quick, Boys?

Survey says “61% Of Gay And Bisexual Men Are Uncomfortable Kissing In Public”.

More than forty years have passed since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, however a survey by same-sex dating website ManCentral.com showed that 61% of gay and bisexual men feel unable to kiss in public.

Whilst there are unwritten rules within society that govern when and where anyone should engage in an intimate moment with their partner, the research shows that gay and bisexual men are ten times more likely to feel restricted from doing so than their heterosexual counterparts.

According to the ManCentral survey a staggering 61% of the gay and bisexual men surveyed felt uncomfortable displaying affection in public fearing retribution from wider society. In stark contrast, an identical survey on a heterosexual dating site showed that just 6% of straight daters would think twice before displaying their affection in public.

The survey also highlighted that 23% of gay and bisexual men were uncomfortable displaying their affection to another male anywhere in public, whilst 38% admitted they felt confined to displaying affection solely within ‘gay-friendly’ areas.

Intriguingly, of those surveyed, 18-24 year olds were the most uncomfortable (28%) with displaying affection in public whilst a lesser 19% of men aged 61 and above felt the same. It is worth noting that the men now aged over 60 would have been in their late teens and early twenties when homosexuality was considered illegal in the UK, yet the statistics indicate that they feel less repressed than those aged 18-24 in today’s society. Clearly, though homosexual acts have been legal within the UK for over forty years, there remains a sense that homosexual displays of affection are at worst, unacceptable or at best, somewhat taboo.

Unfortunately, many of the men who took part in the research expressed their fear of what other people would think, say or do if they were to behave affectionately towards another man in public. One member revealed, “The one time I displayed affection with another man [in public] we had water thrown over us.” Sadly, another member explained that he would not display affection in public because he “[doesn’t] want to make other people uncomfortable.”