Out of the closet- out of the box!

Being gay does not fit in the man box because men are expected to like women. The idea of the box is that whatever is in the man-box the opposite of what is outside of the box. Being gay is not considered the norm, although some statistics suggest that close to 1/10 men are gay.

Outside of this class, I have noticed that many gay men display feminine characteristics. Last Friday I went to First Fridays in downtown Richmond- I really enjoyed the music, the art, and the people. As we were driving home, I asked my girlfriend why many gay men display traditionally female characteristics. One would expect that gay men (men attracted to men) are looking for men who fit into that man box.

It could be that gay people have done away with the man box entirely, because many do not display or look for characteristics that are thought to be in the man box.

I think it sexuality is hard to navigate. Historically, people of all walks of life had homosexual relationships. On Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage there are numerous reports of such relationships. In our culture there are many men that we want emulate, but at the same time it is a different feeling than that associated with a sexual relationship.

What exactly does it mean to be gay? Can you be gay and never even kiss another man?

In our culture, being straight is essentially seen as the default. Unless one indicates otherwise, he is deemed as straight- a guy that is attracted to women.

I think it is still incredibly hard to be gay in our country and it think it complicates parts of life that other people take for granted.

There common notion that someone doesn’t know they aren’t gay until they have been with a woman. The man box needs to be redefined.