What could be more beautiful than seeing two men walking down the road holding hands? I remember when I first went to work in Saudi Arabia, I saw this for the very first time. Naturally, at the start I was shocked; I had never seen anything like that before. But I soon came to realise and understand the beauty of it.
In Saudi culture, it is not supposed to be sexual—though, on the quiet, it can be, of course—but a bond between Muslim brothers. Each case is different, of course, I am sure of that. Western men, by contrast, are far too emotionally inhibited and uptight for this. That is such a pity. Especially in a western world which is so divided and split.
For queers, of course, it would be a significant move forward and a step in the right direction, to see men holding hands walking down the street. Society has a long way to go before hang-ups are ironed out. — © Mark Alexander
