ARTICLE: Yes,
most straight men sleep together.
That�s according to a new study out of Britain on the changing social habits of
men. Published in the journal of Men and Masculinities in March, the study revealed that 98 percent of the study�s participants -- all white, college-age male athletes -- have shared a bed with another guy. In addition, 93 percent also reported having spooned or cuddled with another man.
James Franco recently took a "bed selfie" with friend Keegan Allen and posted it to Instagram.
Study co-author and sociologist Mark McCormack, of Durham University, says the study�s results exemplify changing conceptions of masculinity in contemporary culture. As homophobia decreases, McCormack says, straight men are acting �much softer� than those from older generations -- something he and Eric Anderson, of the University of Winchester, set out to examine.
"We knew they [straight males] were hugging and cuddling, and we wanted to understand this phenomenon in more detail," McCormack told The Huffington Post in an email. "How do men gain from rejecting the homophobia of previous generations?"
The two sociologists conducted in-depth interviews with 40 young male athletes -- a sample they chose because of the group's likelihood to be in closer physical contact with one another and because of the notion that athletes embody what it means to be traditionally masculine. McCormack told HuffPost he was surprised by how uneventful and mundane participants viewed their behaviors.
�They don't realize this is something that older men would find shocking," he said. "It's older generations that think men cuddling is taboo.�
Matt, one of the men interviewed for the study, explained his viewpoint on cuddling with his male friend Connor. The researchers noted the response in their study:
I feel comfortable with Connor and we spend a lot of time together. I happily rest my head on Connor�s shoulder when lying on the couch or hold him in bed. But he�s not the only one. The way I see it, is that we are all very good and close mates. We have a
Bromance where we are very comfortable around each other.
The history of homosocial relationships, or heterosexual male friendships, is deeply complex and steeped in social stigmas, myth, rejection and aggression, the authors explain in their research. But stigmas and traditional roles are going out the window as younger generations are becoming more open and accepting.
�The social taboo against cuddling has been because for two men to get close was traditionally seen as 'gay'. Men wanted to avoid being the target of homophobic abuse, so they would be macho to distance themselves from any perception of homosexuality,� McCormack told HuffPost. �But there is a generational effect here: Older men who grew up in the 1980s may still feel the need to present a very straight version of themselves, but more positive attitudes toward homosexuality in contemporary culture mean that younger men are simply less concerned about how other people view their behaviors."
McCormack says Anderson, who expanded on the study, found similar behaviors across country lines, though American men were found to engage in those behaviors less frequently.
�British men are more advanced than American men in doing this, but these behaviors are still occurring, and we predict that increasing numbers of American men will engage in them as they realize the benefits of doing so,� McCormack said.
McCormack acknowledges that anti-gay sentiment is still around but that many guys don't seem to mind expressing themselves however they want.
�Homophobia hasn't disappeared, but straight men today are not expected to be homophobic like they were in the 1980s and 1990s," he said.
G0YS.org commentary:
The behavior described above is characteristically "g0y'esque" by its very
nature is & has been (contrary to the tone of the article)
- very common among men for a long, long time.
What isn't common is the reporting of the behavior. And, what isn't discussed
in the article above are the
occasions where close contact & cuddling ramp up to the next notch
(extended skin to skin contact resulting in shared orgasm.
And those occasions are much more frequent than anyone else is talking about.
G0YS know this too well. Generally, the silence is because of the stigmas surrounding the term
"gay" - primarily because the term "gay" has been welded to the
spectre of AnalSex and the majority of M2M encounters do NOT involve that. Most
men consider the entire notion of AnalSex to be a debasing & unmasculine act (a
normal & healthy perspective based on the medical evidence of the gigantic risks
{+5000% more perilous} associated with AnalSex). And the associated feelings of
disgust are so strong that men purposely distance themselves from the term "gay"
as a result. This is the reason why the vast majority of these male/male interactions do not
involve
gender bending in any form, and never the notion of anal-sex.
Nevertheless, most guys are
amBIsexual!
You may want
to read:
Natural Affection
Consider this account from the 1960's
"I
grew up in a neighborhood where boys having sex with boys was the rule,
on a regular to occasional basis. As an almost unbroken rule, the sex
involved mutual masturbation as well as oral sex. Anal sex was
generally non-existent. Given that this was a form of sexual
interaction involving boys who had the most sex with their best friends,
and lesser amounts of sex with lesser friends, male bonding factors
applied - as well as sexism . That is, we were all aware of what we were
to do with females, as some of us were doing - as in fucking - but
would never think of doing that [anal intercourse] to one's best friend,
considered to be one's equal.
I grew up in the 'sixties (aged 10 to 20 during this period) and began to
be homosexually active at least by the age of five ... By grade four [aged
10] I was one of the major actors in my Roman Catholic school, and I was
part of a 2-hour production known as The Passion ... By then I was a
sexual veteran, and was having sex with male friends on a regular basis.
Sex, for me, was nothing more than a normal part of life, as it was
also part of almost every day - where most of the day was doing non-sexual
things with one's friends. I was therefore never sexually deprived
since a good number of males, especially including my best friends were
sexually available. We had sex in the woods, in garages, in abandoned
buildings, in homes if no one else was there, in snow houses, in parked
cars waiting to be fixed in a body shop, and in many other places. As a
rule, only the males - and not the females - in the community knew about
our sexual activities, which were so common that, if ever a male did
not want to have homo-sex, he was considered to be abnormal - but no one
put pressure on unwilling males to have sex, and we never behaved with
each other in such a way. This was sex with equality, as
well as with respect, as well as a male-bonding
phenomenon..."
And this account from the 1980's
I grew into my teens
during the 80's. It was one of the most "HomoPhobic" time frames in history from
what I understand. I knew that I liked guys upon entering puberty. However - I
want to point out that this attraction wasn't preoccupied with a guy's cock 'n
balls. What I liked was the heavier musculature, stronger frame, deeper voice,
body hair & aggressive personality traits. And I fit in with my peers -
despite being mentally developed several magnitudes above most of them
-resulting in an aptitude in science & engineering that developed early on as well. I
figured out early on that if I showed an interest in sports medicine - that it
would provide me with the pretext to have increased physical contact with other
guys as well as open doors to extracurricular activities where that subject was
encouraged. I wrestled in high school and during practices, guys were always
getting hurt - usually minor stuff like sprains or muscle pulls. I quickly
became the guy who was the 1st line of treating those minor issues with the
application of cold/hot packs & massage. And when a guy learns that the
"holistic" massage he's gonna get is going to make him feel so good that it'll
probably leave him stuporous - in a bliss state that he doesn't want to end; -
Yeah, those guys soon drop the "allergic to getting touched by a guy"
routine & begin to give hints about sore muscles, back pains, aching shoulders,
pulled leg ligaments, etc. These
"hints" usually happened in private settings where doors could be locked &
shades pulled before getting them out of their clothes. Then starting at the
site of their "pain" & then spreading outward to relax their entire body - I'd
work any remaining anxiety out of them - often into unconsciousness. The
fact that I knew how to move a guy so that joints & vertebrae would audibly
"crack" as I worked on them added to the overall atmosphere of the experience. The summer of
my sophomore year - I got a 2-man tent & set it up by the river that passed by
the back 40 of our farm. Over summer, it was common to have 3 or 4 guys
over during the week to camp out - 1 at a time. I always made it seem
spontaneous - but the plan was a campfire, snacks, and a late-night swim (in place
of a shower) & to cool off. No bathing suit needed (I always had a large towel,
however). Sweaty clothes from
earlier weren't welcome in the tent on the clean sleeping bags & these guys were
used to the locker-room anyway so sleeping in the raw wasn't a big deal. I'd
generally make a comment about aligning a guy's vertebra & segway from giving
him a good back-cracking torsion into a slow, firm massage that started at his
feet (to take him down quickly) & then up the calves, hamstrings, buttocks, back
& neck. At that point, most guys are willing to roll over onto their back to let
me work their front side. I knew from studying anatomy that a man's nipples are
designed to translate touch - especially deep pressure against them into an
erection reflex. So, a slow chest massage combining deep pressure & occasionally
brushing lightly on a guys nips would cause about 50% of my buds to grow wood.
In the darkness of the tent, most guys didn't think I could see if their dicks
were growing -but depending on the moonlight - I usually could see a silhouette.
And, if that was the case, most guys breathing will deepen with increasing
respirations & their pulse will get faster. Sometimes
I'd lengthen my strokes and move the massage area downward to abs, thighs &
groin - just at the perimeter of their male equipment. So, even in cases where
the moonlight was too dim - I'd be able to tell if the guy had wood because
they'd be an inevitable gentle collision between my hand & his engorgement.
When that collision occurred, I'd usually say something in my most sincere voice
like, "Man, brother - you've got an awesome dick; -I wish mine was that
impressive."
At that moment - the ball/s were in his proverbial court. IF he answered back
something like: "Your's isn't bad" -or words to that effect - it was almost a
guarantee that he wanted more of the same. If he apologized for having wood - my
best reply was something like: "Dude, it's a dick - It's got a mind of it's own.
I know. Got one myself. Just relax & let it run its course." - in a sincere,
empathetic tone. At this juncture, I'd continue the massage for another few
minutes and listen for increased respiration, feel for increased pulse while my
hands were on his pecs & use whatever means to determine the condition of his
cock. The 1st guy this happened with was a guy named Jesse who had a naturally
stunning body & was a bit of a stoner off hours. His demeanor was
sanguine, easy-going & relaxed. His dick was rock-hard, leaking precum &
his heart was slamming so fast & hard in his chest that it was causing his deep
breathing to be punctuated with each beat. I moved so my hands stroked back up
his chest & then off to the sides - palms down on the ground as I slid forward &
lowered myself down so that my knees were my point of contact with the ground &
my weight rested on Jesse - chest to chest, navel to navel and my hard-on
crossing his at a shallow angle. At the same time I made the "maneuver", I said
something like: "I've got a spasm in my lower back to goes to my neck...I'm just
gonna rest here for a little while if it's OK.". Jesse reached around me
with his right hand to my upper back & pulled me a little tighter to him.
His heartbeat must have been 150 & strong. I remember using my feet to get some
traction & push forward -causing my package to push firmly into his as I planted
a soft kiss on Jesse's neck. Jesse's breathing suddenly got even deeper & his
pulse shot upward to maybe almost 200 as he began to whimper some intense sighs
into his deep, pulse-punctuated breathing. I could literally feel the shaft of
his dick get harder & throb intensely. Instinctively, I began to use my toes &
ankles to rock back & forth on Jesse causing my erection to slide back & forth
along his & drive him over the edge. I could feel the large blood vessels in his
neck beneath my lips engorged as he opened his mouth slightly & let a long soft
moan begin to slide out as another hard-throb moved his Penis followed by the
feeling of warmth at my navel as the 1st shot of his stud-semen glued us
together. This pushed me over the top causing my back to arch & ass to tighten
as the sweet release of a week's pent-up cumm was dick-vomited all over Jesse's 8
pack - mingling with his as our convulsing dicks emptied our balls one hard
peristalsis after another. Over the next few minutes - Jesse relaxed & his
pulse returned to near-normal as he just lay there with this incredible look of
contentment mixed with relief on his face. "I think a swim is a really
good idea.", he suggested. I agreed. I remember the feeling of our matted abs
coming unglued as I rolled off him - followed by the coolness of evaporation. We
waded out to the deepest part (just about 6-feet) & stood there hugging as the
water did it's job. He was a little taller than me & his hug literally
held me up so just my toes would occasionally graze the bottom. We stood there
like that for well over an hour - watching as the moon inched across the sky. By
the time we left the water, I was ready to go another round and climbed on him
as soon as we hit the small beachy area at the water's edge. We agreed not
to say anything to anybody & when Jesse asked me if it felt "gay", -my reply was
that gays gave & took it up the tailpipe - so "NO: It's no different than a
couple of Bros sharing a Mutual Jack-Off Session.". From that point on -
Jesse and I tried to hook up at least once a week or so for a "MJOS". And,
I had a number of good looking friends & over the next 3 years (yeah even
into college) & managed to discover that a number of them were in favor of regular MJO sessions,
too. Most guys are BI.
|