Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kikapu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

There are some Egyptian migrant workers in our village ... men in their 20's and 30's ... and most evenings they walk hand in hand along the beach as the sun sets ...

It looks very ....... "OK" ....

That's what Bush and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia do when ever they get together, and Bush has the nerve to be against Gay Marriage.!

[Oracle]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

There are some Egyptian migrant workers in our village ... men in their 20's and 30's ... and most evenings they walk hand in hand along the beach as the sun sets ...

It looks very ....... "OK" ....

That's what Bush and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia do when ever they get together, and Bush has the nerve to be against Gay Marriage.!

The things one does for the Yankee (Oil) Dollar ....

(Plenty of Petroleum Jelly in Saudi Arabia ...)

[Kikapu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

There are some Egyptian migrant workers in our village ... men in their 20's and 30's ... and most evenings they walk hand in hand along the beach as the sun sets ...

It looks very ....... "OK" ....

That's what Bush and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia do when ever they get together, and Bush has the nerve to be against Gay Marriage.!

The things one does for the Yankee (Oil) Dollar ....

(Plenty of Petroleum Jelly in Saudi Arabia ...)

At the moment, all of that Petroleum Jelly from Saudi Arabia is applied to all of us in the West, and still it hurts like hell.!!

[denizaksulu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Kiks, I am sure that you are not that young surely. I remember around 1961/3 walking arms around each other, on our friends shoulders or arms linked together. I stopped the habit only after arriving in London and getting very odd looks. Never hand in hand though.

[Kikapu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Kiks, I am sure that you are not that young surely. I remember around 1961/3 walking arms around each other, on our friends shoulders or arms linked together. I stopped the habit only after arriving in London and getting very odd looks. Never hand in hand though.

Deniz,

I think you have about 9 years on me Deniz.!

In 63', I was only 8 years old. By age 9, I left Cyprus and only when I lived in and visited Turkey, that I would see men walking arm in arm. So the question is, is it being practiced in the north by the TC men, or is it only by the settlers, if at all.??

[ttoli]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Kiks, I am sure that you are not that young surely. I remember around 1961/3 walking arms around each other, on our friends shoulders or arms linked together. I stopped the habit only after arriving in London and getting very odd looks. Never hand in hand though.

Deniz,

I think you have about 9 years on me Deniz.!

In 63', I was only 8 years old. By age 9, I left Cyprus and only when I lived in and visited Turkey, that I would see men walking arm in arm. So the question is, is it being practiced in the north by the TC men, or is it only by the settlers, if at all.??

From what I've seen, only the settlers.

[denizaksulu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Kiks, I am sure that you are not that young surely. I remember around 1961/3 walking arms around each other, on our friends shoulders or arms linked together. I stopped the habit only after arriving in London and getting very odd looks. Never hand in hand though.

Deniz,

I think you have about 9 years on me Deniz.!

In 63', I was only 8 years old. By age 9, I left Cyprus and only when I lived in and visited Turkey, that I would see men walking arm in arm. So the question is, is it being practiced in the north by the TC men, or is it only by the settlers, if at all.??

To be honest, I think Homophobia has set-in in Cyprus, so I have not seen this happening since my younger years.

[Tim Drayton]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.

[denizaksulu]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.

You are not mistaken Tim. I think the 'custom' just died out because of foreign inspired 'homophobia'. As I said, I have not seen this in Cyprus since 1963. It was as you say a 'bonding' of friend. Tactility is a psychological need of every human being. Ourupbringing in those days even prevented young people (couples) walking hand in hand unless you were engaged to get married. Among young men this was common, but nowadays more liberal attitudes to open male /female relationships has negated the need for this male to male 'tactility'. IMHO.

Also we must not forget that we were 'taught' to hold hands at primary school.

[Tim Drayton]

Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.!

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!!

Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.

You are not mistaken Tim. I think the 'custom' just died out because of foreign inspired 'homophobia'. As I said, I have not seen this in Cyprus since 1963. It was as you say a 'bonding' of friend. Tactility is a psychological need of every human being. Ourupbringing in those days even prevented young people (couples) walking hand in hand unless you were engaged to get married. Among young men this was common, but nowadays more liberal attitudes to open male /female relationships has negated the need for this male to male 'tactility'. IMHO.

Also we must not forget that we were 'taught' to hold hands at primary school.

From what I have heard about the "old days" in Cyprus, mainly from listening to interviews with elderly people on television, weddings in both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot villages used to be strictly segregated along sexual lines with the women celebrating indoors and the men celebrating outdoors in the streets. What strikes me is that is how village weddings are conducted today in mainland Turkish villages. In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden. Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.