4 Basic Rules of Gay PDA

Illustrations by Kenji Nunez

If you and your lover are more daring than most, here is one basic rule: Know your limits, then push the borders! Act as if you are always being scrutinized. Be ready because the public will always have a reaction, staring, raising of eyebrows, etc. Know how much of both good and bad reactions you and your partner can create before you both blush and feel the need to stop. Next time, try to go father, go for more. By doing this, the public can get used to the idea of homosexual PDA. Something taboo will no longer be taboo when it is brought out into the light, when more and more people are doing more of it. Let society cringe. It is time that they feel our presence.

However, for those who are not yet out or at the very least feel that really harm can befrail them if they are flamboyant with their affections, do not fret. Below are four basic conservative rules that allow gay PDA within society’s tolerance level.

Basic rules of gay PDA (Public Display of Affection)

1. Know where you can get away with it. There are places where homosexuality and all its aspects are more tolerated. Homosexuals are commonly seen in Malate or Makati because people who frequent these places are more open-mined. Find your own special place where people do not cringe at the sight of two guys holding hands.

2. Know when to act. Like everything else, timing is everything. If you’re in a public place you can’t just hold hands forever. You have to be discreet so that you won’t call attention to yourselves. Hold hands when no one is looking or when the people around you are not that conservative. Dance to the music. Use your common sense.

3. Know how much the public can handle. Always try to be aware of the people around you. A pat on the back or a gentle squeeze on your partner’s arm is a sign of affection that is acceptable to the general public. Liplocking, however, is a sadly big no. Be sensitive and smart enough to figure the public. If you are not sure as to how they would react, test them. If you don’t want to take the risk, then don’t. Wait until you guys are in a more private place before you do the things that are intimate in nature in the first place.

4. When + where = how much. Always analyze the situation before showing affection. Think before acting. Remember that no two situations are the same. Keep in mind that the “how much” changed according to the “when” and “where.”



It must be said, however, that shame is an indication of guilt for a wrongdoing. If the issue of safety (be it bodily, psycho-emotional, or social) becomes nothing more that a guilt trip, re-examine your values, girl! We have all the reasons to be proud. And nothing is more shameful than shame itself.

By Susan Sulit
Taken from GP Magazine (Volume 1 Issue 1)