# Guys - do you feel an 'ick' factor if you see a gay couple kiss? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787 "2012-03-25T20:26:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/41 "2012-03-26T00:46:14Z")
Yes it squicks me out, and I try not to look. I get the same squicked out feeling when I see someone eat their steak fat, or pour way too much ranch dressing, or bend their double-jointed elbow awkwardly. I don’t like it, but I don’t have any objection to their right to do it openly. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/42 "2012-03-26T00:52:01Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Yes it squicks me out, and I try not to look. I get the same squicked out feeling when I see someone eat their steak fat, or pour way too much ranch dressing, or bend their double-jointed elbow awkwardly. I don’t like it, but I don’t have any objection to their right to do it openly. What if two guys kissed while one poured too much ranch sauce on a bunch of steak fat, and then proceeded to eat it while bending his elbow awkwardly? Do you support their right to do all that openly!? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/43 "2012-03-26T00:52:50Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I can’t ever remember feeling grossed out about any two people kissing, be they old or ugly, straight or gay. Unless it was a movie and somebody had just eaten something gross, or something like that. > > As a gay man it fascinates me that straight guys claim to have this “hard-wired” aversion to seeing 2 guys kiss. I have no such aversion to seeing a heterosexual couple kiss! I think it’s just a socially imprinted thing, and not necessarily biologically hard wired. I’ve never met any other gay guy who got “grossed out” when he saw a straight couple kiss. > > Now… if they are REALLY going to town, that’s where I would start to feel a bit uncomfortable, regardless of sexuality. I think that uncomfortable feeling you get from extreme public affection displays is different from the “gross!” feeling lots of us guys get from watching gay men kiss. I get the same uncomfortable feeling as you when I see a heterosexual couple getting extremely physically intimate in public, and it’s not the same as the ewww feeling. I’m certain my yuck reaction is not biologically hardwired, because I have no such feeling seeing lesbians kiss. If it was biological (like the yuck feeling from smelling gangrene or something) then it would surely apply to lesbians too, wouldn’t it? So yeah, I think I agree with your assessment here. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/44 "2012-03-26T00:53:57Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > What if two guys kissed while one poured too much ranch sauce on a bunch of steak fat, and then proceeded to eat it while bending his elbow awkwardly? Do you support their right to do all that openly!? Is it bacon ranch, or regular? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/45 "2012-03-26T01:04:02Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Is it bacon ranch, or regular? Oh blech! Bacon Ranch ☹ Just the thought of it makes me want to gag. The ONE thing that bacon screws up when it combines with something else is ranch. I can’t stand the stuff. So bacon ranch, obviously. Unless of course you LIKE bacon ranch… then I will run away quickly and quietly! ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/46 "2012-03-26T01:12:20Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Oh blech! Bacon Ranch ☹ Just the thought of it makes me want to gag. The ONE thing that bacon screws up when it combines with something else is ranch. I can’t stand the stuff. > > So bacon ranch, obviously. Unless of course you LIKE bacon ranch… then I will run away quickly and quietly! I don’t think anyone actually likes bacon ranch. It exists only to set a bar for nastiness, that other nasty things can be compared to. Guys kissing is not quite as gross as bacon ranch covered steak fat held by a double jointed person. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/47 "2012-03-26T01:14:42Z")
No, doesn’t bother me or ick me out in the slightest. Watching two guys get it on is a tad off putting, though. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/48 "2012-03-26T01:20:07Z")
I’ll admit it; there’s an ick factor. But I realize it’s just my problem to deal with not anything wrong with the two people who are kissing. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/49 "2012-03-26T01:29:38Z")
Seeing two men having any sort of relations is about as interesting to me as seeing relations between a toothbrush and a teacup. To me, if there are no women, then there is no sexual interest, and thus nothing for me to get viscerally invested in, positively nor negatively. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/50 "2012-03-26T01:32:59Z")
First time I saw it, in Soho when I was 18, I was indeed shocked and grossed out. However having had gay friends, and having been to several gay bars and clubs over the years I got used to it and got over it. I have to admit to being freaked out when two guys were grinding in the most explicit way at the bar once, but I would have had the same reaction if a straight couple had been at it too. I don’t think it’s hard-wired to be grossed out, I think it’s learned. ---
**Author:** ![BowlOfDucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BowlOfDucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BowlOfDucks)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/51 "2012-03-26T01:34:59Z")
It’s fine by me! I like seeing people in love! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/52 "2012-03-26T01:55:44Z")
> [@BowlOfDucks](#): > > It’s fine by me! I like seeing people in love! 🙂 :eek: It was about two guys kissing, not two guys merging their checking accounts! ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/53 "2012-03-26T02:47:58Z")
I wonder if many of the men who posted in this thread that they are indifferent/attracted to 2 women kissing are thinking about 2 feminine women? Just curious if this standard holds true for 2 “butch” women? ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/54 "2012-03-26T03:03:19Z")
I don’t particularly like seeing people make out in public at all, but I have to admit that seeing 2 guys does skeeve me out. I can generally tolerate hetero’s doing it, but as I said, I still don’t like it. I’m sure if I lived downtown in the city I would probably get used to it in fairly short order. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/55 "2012-03-26T03:10:38Z")
Okay, “making out” is different than a nice chaste little kiss. I mean, saying, “Well I am totes grossed out whenever two people start tonguing each others’ tonsils” is kind of beside the point. I’m assuming from the first post that we’re talking about the sort of kiss that we’re largely used to seeing straight couples engage in. Not tonsil-hockey with hands up shirts or down pants or that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/56 "2012-03-26T03:13:09Z")
I’m bothered by socially inappropriate kissing; gender doesn’t come into it at all. (And damn right you’l tolerate men kissing. You’ll tolerate it or you’ll take yourself elsewhere. ) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/57 "2012-03-26T04:00:07Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > You just repeated yourself in other words, and so I’ll repeat my question. > > What is the evidence that it’s instinctive, and not learned? Run along and play, would you please? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/58 "2012-03-26T07:51:20Z")
I get a very mild, weird jolt when I see it. Not because I dislike it, just because I’m not used to seeing it. I don’t have a problem with same-sex partners at all–I think it’s awesome. But I’m still not used to seeing it, and it’s not like I can MAKE two guys or two girls kiss in front of me until I’m used to it. They’re not performing monkeys. It’s just, in my entire life I’ve seen maaaybe 3 or 4 gay couples exchange a kiss. And porn is different, because it all seems fake. It doesn’t affect me the same way as something happening in front of my eyes. If more same-sex couples shared smooches out in public, though, I’d be used to seeing it.\* BTW I’m not male, but I’m still a data point. \*May not be advisable south of the Mason-Dixon line ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/59 "2012-03-26T08:10:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Run along and play, would you please? “I don’t have a counter argument so I’m going to be dismissive of you” Well, I’d like to know the answer too. What evidence do you have that it’s “hard wired” - your phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Zenja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/47e85d/32.png) [@Zenja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenja)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787/60 "2012-03-26T08:12:26Z")
Yes, a little bit, but it doesn’t bother me on the conscious level, just as an innate reaction. Kiss away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-do-you-feel-an-ick-factor-if-you-see-a-gay-couple-kiss/616787.md?page=4)