>>3867552>>3867559>>3867586>I wish I'd had a friend at that age who would have been comfortable holding my hand on the walk home from school. I got bullied a lot because I was out so I went home crying a lot, it would have been great to have a friend even if it was only platonic that would have given the simple comfort of just holding my hand on the way home.This is why we need to bring platonic intimacy back. It seems we've become unaware of the distinction between sexual and non-sexual intimacy and in the process have been radicalized to think in extremes. As boys, our only two options are to either bury our feelings and never be giving or receptive to platonic touch, or fall prey to the idea that every interaction with a boy that we love is really just homoerotic sexual tension. Both extremes hurt boys in the process as boys need to express vulnerability, safety, comfort, and love with each other in the ways that come easiest for them - not with words, but with their bodies.
Playful fighting, for instance, is an activity that allows boys to express themselves in a way that is natural for them while also exploring the boundaries of their boy friend's body while bonding in the process. Kissing, cuddling, hand holding, are all great examples of bonding that allow boys to become physically vulnerable and comfortable in each other's skin. If in past societies it was common to greet your friend with a kiss, then what made it completely unacceptable now? Who is to say that the young boy who notices his best friend crying, who yearns to hold him close. to stroke his back and kiss his cheek, is in the wrong? And what can we do to allow boys to just be boys again?
