Some men want sex with other men as a permanent part of their lives; some are curious about male bodies, and may experiment at some time in their lives; some feel equally attracted to men and to women; some men enjoy looking at other men's bodies without desiring sexual contact; some prefer the company of other men for leisure; some work in an all-male environment. Women also feel and do all these things with other women. These infinite permutations and the confusion that results from them cannot be accommodated by society, which needs order in which to function. Order means ignoring varying shades of grey and distinguishing only between black and white; it means putting labels on things. And since society is never stronger than when it is united against a common evil, labelling things also means defining society's outcasts.

Various attempts have been made this century to 'explain' homosexuality, and even to 'cure' it. But the question is not really why some people are homosexual, but why our society is heterosexual. People born into a homosexual society generally conform to the norm, just as do people born into a heterosexual society. Most of us have a broad enough sexual response to allow us to be conditioned comfortably to either mode of behaviour. The people who feel less comfortable with the status quo, and those who feel positive discomfort with it are in no way unnatural; rather, it is the restrictions that society places on them that should be considered against nature.

One man in three has had some form of homosexual experience resulting in orgasm, according to the Kinsey Report, published in 1948. Kinsey was not saying that one man in three was homosexual; but he was tearing off the label that branded sexuality between men as abnormal'. Kinsey pointed out that humans were not alone among animals in engaging in same-sex activity: the assumption that animals had sex only when reproduction could be guaranteed was a man-made one, designed to bolster the view that homosexuality was 'against nature'. Of course, half a century has elapsed since the publication of the Kinsey Report and sexual mores have changed. However, Kinsey's findings still represent extremely valuable research into this area of sexual behaviour and the underlying trends are still relevant today.

Homosexual encounters between men usually begin in foreplay and end in orgasm, but the pattern of lovemaking is much less rigid than the pattern of lovemaking between men and women tends to be, and both partners almost always reach orgasm. Many homosexual men consider sex with other men to be liberating because there are no rules: it does not involve pressure to perform or pressure to satisfy the other person, and mutual satisfaction is effortless because men understand each other's bodies so well.

Men report that another advantage of sex without obligations is that they feel they can come straight to the point; a sexual relationship often precedes a social friendship, and not the other way around. Many men describe their sexual relations with male partners as generally more honest and straightforward, both physically and emotionally, than their relationships with women. Most homosexual men derive a great deal of physical and emotional satisfaction from being penetrated. Hygiene should always be the first priority in any act of anal penetration, as disease is especially easily transmitted in this way. Always wear a condom. A condom on a finger inserted into the anus can aid lubrication as well as protect against scratches -- from fingernails and rough skin -- that could lead to infection. You should always wash thoroughly before and after anal sex, and if you use a vibrator for penetration, make sure that this is washed thoroughly too, in hot soapy water with a splash of antiseptic added.

Some women rebel against the narrowness of the status quo and become lesbians for political reasons, feeling dissatisfied with a male-dominated society; others do so because they find men unsatisfactory as lovers or as partners on an emotional level; and others because they are intensely emotionally involved with a member of their own sex and wish to express their feelings through their sexuality.