They talk explicitly about what they do sexually, what they like. They roughhouse naked in the locker room. They measure themselves against other men. Men of all sexual orientations look at each other’s penises in the shower. What might be deemed “gay” in West Hollywood or the Castro is just your average afternoon post-practice ritual for so many straight guys completely comfortable with their own bodies and the bodies of their teammates and opponents. Of course it’s more than that.īut what gets so often lost is that the opposite is also true: Grabbing another guy’s nether regions is about a lot more than being “gay” (so please, forgive the shorthand). I’ve been out for 20-plus years and with my husband for exactly 62.963% of that time.

Of course being gay is a lot more than grabbing another guy’s nether regions. Some people chuckled at the grabby player “getting caught ” Others were horrified and sounded the “sexual assault” alarm.įor me it was just straight athletes going gay. When a video close-up of Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins grabbing the ass and genitals of an opposing Ohio State player surfaced last weekend, it got a panoply of reaction.