A new exposé from GQ explores the emotional cost for gay men who hook up with straight-identifying men. While studies, including one published in ‘Sexualities’ and research by Tony Silva and Jane Ward, show that many “straight” men engage in same-sex encounters, GQ shifts focus to the gay men involved. One gay man described his relationship with a straight-identifying man as “crushing,” explaining his partner eventually “retreated to his heteronormative lifestyle.” Others shared similar experiences of secrecy and heartbreak. The takeaway? Emotional involvement with straight-identifying men often ends painfully—though, as GQ notes, casual encounters can be another story.
