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Two straight men held hands in public to highlight homophobic attitudes
IF TWO MEN were to walk down the street holding hands, what kind of response would it elicit?
That’s what BBC radio hosts Iain Lee and Justin Dealey set out to find when they decided to hold hands and walk down the streets of Luton.
The two men, both of whom are straight, conducted the experiment in response to a phone call they received from a listener, who told them that he was frequently subjected to homophobic abuse whenever he walked down the street, holding his boyfriend’s hand.
Both Lee and Dealey stated that they were “shocked” by this and wanted to see what would happen for themselves.
As the video shows, the pair received dirty looks and attracted negative comments from passers-by. They were also called “disgusting” by one young man.
The stunt itself has received a mixed response with some people questioning the mindset behind it.
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While others have defended it for highlighting the fact that homophobic abuse is still very much a fact of life for members of the LGBT community.
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