Reactions to PDA Where You Live

[HalfInsane]

So, this question came about a couple days ago when me and my gf had been standing outside of Tim Hortons after I’d gotten us some doughnuts and such (yeah... you know I’m a Canadian now ) and all I was doing was standing behind her with my arms wrapping around her. Well, logically, that shouldn’t get that many reactions out of people, even in the small little redneckish town I’m fortunate enough to inhabit, because really, it was bloody cold out and it’s not that uncommon for girls who are friends to do that kind of thing (well, not REALLY common, but it happens, so for those who’d like to deny out existence, it could be easily dismissed as such). Well, after a while we noticed that, yes, a large percentage of the people in vehicles passing by were giving us glares that could be read as being, well, borderline murderous in some cases. Me and her made a joke of it, counting the glares, and adding goofy bits of dialogue to match their expression. We laughed about it once in a while the following day, and I honestly did find the whole thing quite amusing, due to the humorous aspect we'd thrown in.


However... I couldn’t help but realize that:

Considering that only about half of the people driving by seemed to notice we were there on any level, roughly 2/3 of those people gave us some kind of not-so-pleased looks, about half of them being glares that could kill, and being directed deliberately in our direction. The other half gave us either wide-eyed stares or one of those odd glares you get once in a while where it seems the person is trying to secretly glare at you... which does kind of defeat the purpose of glaring.

So anyways, back to my original question here: How badly do people react to PDA (public displays of affection, for those who haven’t heard the term... I does kinda sound like a disease after all XD) between people of the same gender where you live? Have you had any personal experiences with it, etc?

[beckyg]

A couple years ago there was a gay man who was brutally beaten up near where I live because he was dancing with another man.

[Jim1454]

I haven't had any personal experiences myself. I think most people are pretty casual about it here in Toronto. I don't think it's an issue really.

Having said that, I'm hesitant to make PDAs myself with my bf. I guess I don't want to draw too much attention to us. Besides - we're in that stage where if we were to start kissing in public, it would likely get out of hand!

The reality is, everyone in Toronto is in such a hurry to get to where they're going that they aren't going to notice people hugging, let alone take the time / energy required to glare.

[Alexander]

Here the reactions are pretty good (there are few people who give them angry glares, and most people just ignore them), but two of my friends got beat up really bad for sharing a small kiss outside the mall when we were leaving (we were driving two separate cars). Cunt haters. Worst thing is, I'm never going to forget when they were attacked. Hell, when I hear about a person I don't even know who was hurt by hate crime, I feel like crying.

EDIT: I just had an OMG moment. Haha if my family doesn't suspect I'm gay from the people I hang out with, they're never going to suspect me

[heatqueen]

Do that in Dubai and you're in for it...basically it's a case of 'don't ask don't tell'...you just don't DO that kind of thing in Dubai. Sucks really.

Here in Pittsburgh I'm sure I'd get a few stares but generally there is no danger, because there are so many witnesses around. In Southside or Northside PDA may be dangerous, due to the gang population and lower population density. Most of the people downtown are accustomed to the gay population here.

I carry my own personal protection if I feel threatened, in the form of a blunt weapon in my side coat pocket that I can use as a fistpack or a skull cracker (I could never stab someone else @@). I wouldn't let people give us shit, and I have no problem standing up for myself. Some people are really big and scary though, I just choose to ignore those people. Luckily I haven't had any bad confrontations yet where I've had to use it though.

Generally PDA is safe and somewhat accepted during the daytime, and during the night it can be very dangerous, dependent on where you are in the city and how many people are near you.

[Time]

It's heavily frowned upon in pretty much any part of Arkansas, especially where I live. It's very unfortunate, but my town is extremely homophobic. This is the type of place you find serious gay hate crimes.

Originally Posted by heatqueen

Do that in Dubai and you're in for it...basically it's a case of 'don't ask don't tell'...you just don't DO that kind of thing in Dubai. Sucks really.

At our hookah bar we have an openly gay employee who doesn't get any discrimination from our customers. With most of our customers coming from the UAE I find this quite appaling, but very comforting at the same time. The only time I've ever heard any discrimination from our customers was from a homophobic American. That conversation was very short lived, though, as I demonstrated my depreciation for his comments. I'd say about 1/8 of our American customers are gay, and our boss doesn't mind at all, and he's from Syria. He does get a little upset over the random gay/lesbian makeout sessions, but people shouldn't be doing that in our hookah bar anyways, gay or straight.

[Jim1454]

Off topic, but what's a hookah bar?

Originally Posted by Jim1454

Off topic, but what's a hookah bar?

Here is our website, check out some of our customer photos.
www.hookahbookah.com
Our regular, Arab customers come in the do work on their laptops while they smoke hookah, or they play cards with each other. Mostly Americans come in because it's "cool" to smoke hookah. I was one of those Americans before I started working there, and I have a more Arab appreciation for the hookah now, but I still think they're "cool".
Hookahs are large water pipes for smoking flavored tobacco, that comes in almost every flavor imaginable. Customers come in and get a hookah, and are welcome to stay until they feel like leaving. Hookahs usually last around 1 hour to 2 hours, depending on the hookah handling skills of our customers. We also serve coffee drinks as well as fruit drinks. We are a vegetarian bar as well, even though I'm a big meat eater. Our cheese sandwiches are absolutely amazing though so I don't mind during lunchtime.

[heatqueen]

I've heard that people can be thrown out of the country for being gay. *Shrinks away* That is so scary!!!