Many others, predominantly men, talk about how the fear of violence prevents them from ever holding hands with a partner. A woman in Brighton had been targeted by a group of men when she was holding hands with her girlfriend. The simple, and you would think harmless, act of holding hands, so often an act of protection or care, can – in some situations – expose you to real danger. In parts of Africa and the Middle East, it is more common to see two men holding hands than a mixed-sex couple – but the hand-holding isn’t seen as a sign of a sexual relationship. It might affect the route they take through a town, where and when they hold hands with their partner, what they wear, and how they speak.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2016 15:11 UTC