Sep 29, 2015 1:46 AM GMT
Just got home from a weekend in Vegas and I thought I'd pass along some observations.
I hadn't been to Vegas for about 2 1/2 years. On this trip I noticed a LOT more male couples publicly holding hands or walking arm in arm. Interestingly enough, almost all of them were Latino, of various gay demographics (twinks, bears, jocks...). I mention this because Latino society is not known for its tolerance. In LA, outside of West Hollywood, it's very rare to see Latino guys holding hands - mostly because in a lot of Latino neighborhoods it'd be kinda dangerous.
It could be that they were all visiting Vegas from out of town and felt bolder being away from the prying eyes of family and homies, in a place known for its anything-goes attitude. Hard to tell if that was the case since I saw many of them at an outdoor music festival where lots of locals as well as tourists were in attendance. But there were also many couples holding hands while walking on the Strip; these were certainly all tourists.
At any rate, it seems that times are changing. Hopefully taking a few test runs like this under "safe" circumstances will help everyone feel more comfortable with it in everyday life.
I hadn't been to Vegas for about 2 1/2 years. On this trip I noticed a LOT more male couples publicly holding hands or walking arm in arm. Interestingly enough, almost all of them were Latino, of various gay demographics (twinks, bears, jocks...). I mention this because Latino society is not known for its tolerance. In LA, outside of West Hollywood, it's very rare to see Latino guys holding hands - mostly because in a lot of Latino neighborhoods it'd be kinda dangerous.
It could be that they were all visiting Vegas from out of town and felt bolder being away from the prying eyes of family and homies, in a place known for its anything-goes attitude. Hard to tell if that was the case since I saw many of them at an outdoor music festival where lots of locals as well as tourists were in attendance. But there were also many couples holding hands while walking on the Strip; these were certainly all tourists.
At any rate, it seems that times are changing. Hopefully taking a few test runs like this under "safe" circumstances will help everyone feel more comfortable with it in everyday life.