thinking about “you construct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men” but off topic since thats more of a commentary on male social behavior at large rather than just male homosexuality , but the phrase is what reminded me:

i wonder often if straight people will ever understand the dizzying heat of seeing 2 people of the same gender simply touch. shyly maybe, maybe a little roughly, un-self-consciously in camaraderie, maybe to support one another in weakness. or catch each other’s eye. a moment of shared understanding, an arresting glance. or to feel comfortable enough to be close without watching. shoulders pressed together. gaze averted. this is what i often mean by calling fiction “gay” in a way that’s completely invisible to straight people even when i try to call their attention to it. they will never understand a longing buried so deep that a simple brush of skin will flush you out to your ears and down your neck, everything trying to gush out like youve tapped an oil well. gay people invented desire and touch