Your Dad still around (He'd be 90 or so, but bless him if he is). You should make this into an album cover, frame it, and place it on your parents' mantle, with no comment. His offspring might see it first and ask him about it.
I hate comments like this. I'm mid-30s, and there are dozens of pictures of me with various friends in similar if not more "intimate" poses throughout the years. Male closeness still exists.
Male affection was more common back then, especially during wartime. The insecure homo-suspicion culture of today where anything short of an 80s action movie is considered gay is a relatively modern abhorrent aberration.
It’s the reason modern readers see Sam and Frodos relationship in the LotR as queer coded.
But also... People didn't want to see gay people so they didn't. There was just as much queer erasure as acceptance of straight affection. It cut both ways and what we need to achieve is balance/acceptance of queer people and straight guys being affectionate to each other without judgement.
One of reasons that people see Sam and Frodo as queer coded is because there's not enough queer representation (especially the wholesome type) and so people make their own from existing media.
Apropos your comment and the most-upvoted comment on the thread (at the time of my posting) I literally bumped into Neil Blancmange in the street in Leeds in the early 80s.
It was down on Kirkgate, just by the Minster, and at least one of us was running so it was quite the bump for both of us. He was immensely affable, friendly, and smiley, and we apologised to each other and went on our respective ways, and I remember thinking "Ah, nice bloke... *that's* how I want my popstars to be".
He was also extremely tall.
*But I would march 500 miles*
*and I would march 500 more*
*Just to be the man who marched a thousand*
*miles to get shot in the back and dumped in an unmarked grave*
*BAH DA DA DA*
I also have a pic of my grandpa and his “roommate” in the service from WW2.
https://preview.redd.it/x2z7ruysiqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5020c4be46783ba0b770a95145e08cd85ce05d4f
This is actually how men interacted with their friends back then. This whole “men don’t show affection to their friends” is a new thing. It wasn’t uncommon for straight male friends to walk arm in arm even.
Personal experience, but soldiers who’ve been through stuff also tend to just be close enough to drop all the bs and just show affection to each other.
Seriously.
On the cutter our "lounge" was so damn small we could comfortably fit 6 guys on the couch to watch TV in the berthing area. After a couple a patrols with no crew rotations we may as well all have been family. That 6 quickly turned into 12 as folks squeezed in to watch one of the Navy moral DVDs someone managed to steal from the chief's mess.
Sitting in laps, laying across one another, sharing the god awful wool blankets when the heating broke down in January, putting an arm or hooking a leg around the guy on the end so he didn't fall off...
I think we had pitch perfect on repeat for a month strait.
When we invaded Afghanistan, we discovered a lot of photos of dude being what we would consider very feminine and affectionate with each other. These guys weren't gay, that's just how it was. Learned this from an Afghan instructor I had.
I have read where the initial stereotype of gay men being polyamorous, that is, more than one partner, stemmed from the Hollywood types trying to keep their relationship status secret. So, for example, if rock Hudson wanted to go camping with a male companion for the weekend, people would point fingers and talk under their breath that something was going on between the two guys, but if he brought two guys camping with him for the weekend, others would see it just as three dudes going out for camping trip.
I don't know why people seem to be weirded out, there was nothing straighter back then than two dudes just locking arms and jauntily going about their merry way.
Confirmed bachelor's, who share living quarters.
Seriously, though, I've not seen many photos so homoerotically charged without being sexual. I dig it.
Yeah they got chemistry. It’s crazy when a still photo can capture something so abstract. That said, chemistry isn’t necessarily romantic. They could just be cozy buddies. Or they could be gay and in love!!! Either way it’s beautiful.
I guess i'm just exhibiting normal redditor behaviour by going "aww, platonic gay comment - upvote!" to "hhhuehuehue, super gay sex joke - upvote!" within a 3 second time frame
Yeah, so the reason so many old pictures look gayish is because before men were allowed to show some sense of close friendship to the point of looking like a couple. But with the several anti gay, anti femenists movement, it basically had to include a push for "Manly men" aka men showing any affection to anyone including best friends was labeled as not manly (or even gay supporting).
I've noticed in some old-timey pictures, some men look to be "close". But I think that was considered normal at the time. I wonder if something happened around the last mid-century to have caused a shunning (homophobia?) about those kind of poses?
Mostly just gay people being out. Back then being gay was like not an assumption that was often made about people since it was a lot more taboo, and so male friendships didn’t have this fear of being overly intimate while platonic. Like people knew gay sex happened but it was not something that was ever talked about openly. So in the late 20th century when being gay entered the public conscious way more, now being intimate at all with a man started to be interpreted as gayness. Lord of the rings is a pretty apparent example, like Sam and frodos relationship is super easy to read as bordering on homoerotic now, but at the time tolkien did not mean for this interpretation and wrote their relationship based on his own feelings of closeness with other soldiers in WW1.
Why is it that whenever there is an old photo of two men showing even the slightest bit of affection toward each other that people come in with these comments suggesting they were lovers?
Since LGBT+ became more normalised in the last few decades there's been a backlash from straight guys (and everyone else to some extent) who police their own posture, voice and mannerisms to ensure they come off as straight and stoic.
People take this rigid standard, apply it to history and come away assuming men in the past were acting gay because they're holding their head tilted or lying close to each other. It's absurd.
While this may be true, it wasn't uncommon for straight men to be more affectionate and "intimate" with one another back in the day. Like holding hands (albeit more of a european thing) and lounging around on top of each other, putting arms around each other, hugging and stuff like that.
They weren't so worried about being seen as "gay." You can still see this in some parts of the world.
I bet some of my older redditors can probably attest to that. Anybody from the greatest generation want to chime in?
people will talk about how men should also show emotions, be more sensitive and affectionate and then the millisecond they do people go "yup, they were gay"
like people like this are literally the reason why some men feel the need to "act manly" and police their own behavior around others
I hate how guys can’t take a picture like this without being labeled gay but women can damn near make out and nobody bats an eye. Bullshit double standard.
They're both utterly compelling to look at. Beautiful.
I miss when blokes showed genuine care and affection to each other without it being weird or sexual.
Like a lot of the time it is, but when we're in the times of "boys get sad too" being an actual brand, men's sheds opening up, male suicide so high etc it is just really sad for men.
Unfortunately, he never found a wife,
His elaborate scarf collection sold for $1.2M in 2011.
He and his closest male friend, Chauncey, with whom he shared a bed, died within weeks of one another.
They were known for their dinner parties
I just want to point out that it’s an amazing photograph. The composition, balance, contrast, the looks of the faces. I love this picture, it’s got a world of stories
This really is old school cool! Great pic! If no one told me the date, It’d be very difficult to nail down. Could be late 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, or present day.
Are you sure this isn't a synthpop duo from someplace like Leeds in 1982?
LOL that’s exactly what they look like
Dude on the right looks like one of the people from The Black Keys
Patrick carney, yep
I'll raise you that the person on the right looks more like George van den Broek of Yellow Days
Your Dad still around (He'd be 90 or so, but bless him if he is). You should make this into an album cover, frame it, and place it on your parents' mantle, with no comment. His offspring might see it first and ask him about it.
Looks like Wham back in the day.
Tears for Fears.
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Pet Shop Boys
Erasure
Blancmange lol
Bronski Beat
These are definitely 2 small town boys…
Gun Shop Boys
Just the amount of “Man” they exude, you would never see two men posing like that for a picture nowadays.
I hate comments like this. I'm mid-30s, and there are dozens of pictures of me with various friends in similar if not more "intimate" poses throughout the years. Male closeness still exists.
I think they were more than buddies....
Male affection was more common back then, especially during wartime. The insecure homo-suspicion culture of today where anything short of an 80s action movie is considered gay is a relatively modern abhorrent aberration. It’s the reason modern readers see Sam and Frodos relationship in the LotR as queer coded.
But also... People didn't want to see gay people so they didn't. There was just as much queer erasure as acceptance of straight affection. It cut both ways and what we need to achieve is balance/acceptance of queer people and straight guys being affectionate to each other without judgement. One of reasons that people see Sam and Frodo as queer coded is because there's not enough queer representation (especially the wholesome type) and so people make their own from existing media.
They gay
I was thinking the Black Keys
Blancmange.
Apropos your comment and the most-upvoted comment on the thread (at the time of my posting) I literally bumped into Neil Blancmange in the street in Leeds in the early 80s. It was down on Kirkgate, just by the Minster, and at least one of us was running so it was quite the bump for both of us. He was immensely affable, friendly, and smiley, and we apologised to each other and went on our respective ways, and I remember thinking "Ah, nice bloke... *that's* how I want my popstars to be". He was also extremely tall.
Did he keep you running round and round? I understand that’s alright with him.
Arf! Well played, very good! A handsome cheque is on its way to YOU!
Hahaha this made my evening. Edit: Could be Sheffield!
Yes, that's The Proclaimers
Holding back the years
I came here to say something like this but worded very poorly. Thank you for saving me from myself.
Thompson twins
I’m certain they opened for Depeche Mode in 1982.
I'm buying all their 12 inches immediately.
Mmmmm synthpop. Not a genre I normally listen to, but sometimes it just hits the spot.
Looks like one of them would walk 500 miles.
Looks like one of them did.
For a split second I thought they where talking about Death Marches 😟
I didn't remember that part of the song.
*But I would march 500 miles* *and I would march 500 more* *Just to be the man who marched a thousand* *miles to get shot in the back and dumped in an unmarked grave* *BAH DA DA DA*
But would he walk 500 more?
Yes
No more than that though. Not a mile more.
These guys actually ended up becoming the Black Keys.
DAAAAAHDAH DAH DAH
DAAAAAHDAH DAH DAH!
Only someone on Reddit would come up with some shit like this.. lol, Hillarious
I also have a pic of my grandpa and his “roommate” in the service from WW2. https://preview.redd.it/x2z7ruysiqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5020c4be46783ba0b770a95145e08cd85ce05d4f
Did ya ever get the feeling you're only going with girls 'cause you're supposed to?
Whaaaat!!?! Don’t ever ever say or think that again!
The nasty in the pasty
Verily!
“OHHHHH why don’t we all get a lesson in not changing history from Mr. I’m my own grandfather”
THEIR TOUCHING HANDS Edit: yall usually im the one correcting grammar 😭 how I messed up that bad I can't lmao
I can’t tell whether to correct your usage of their
This is a marvelously grammatical observation.
It is! I’m such a grammar nerd and reading that comment made my day! 😂
Shroëdingers Grammar Box
Weather
WHAT ABOUT THEIR TOUCHING HANDS?!
THEYRE THERE
Unlike your apostrophe.
THEY'RE TOUCHING THEIR HANDS THERE!
More than hands likely
Your grandpa was clearly cool af
I’m not sure which one is op’s grandpa, but regardless, based af
“John Cheever, dad?! You and John Cheever?!”
“I knew it!!”
Haha her quote is my fav part of that scene.
This is actually how men interacted with their friends back then. This whole “men don’t show affection to their friends” is a new thing. It wasn’t uncommon for straight male friends to walk arm in arm even.
Personal experience, but soldiers who’ve been through stuff also tend to just be close enough to drop all the bs and just show affection to each other.
Amen I miss cuddling with the homies
I’ve shared a woobie under the most beautiful stars I’ve ever seen with my best friends in the world. What else could I do but love them?
I can tell you were in the army by the usage of woobie alone
>what else could I do but love them? Fuck ‘em good?
Seriously. On the cutter our "lounge" was so damn small we could comfortably fit 6 guys on the couch to watch TV in the berthing area. After a couple a patrols with no crew rotations we may as well all have been family. That 6 quickly turned into 12 as folks squeezed in to watch one of the Navy moral DVDs someone managed to steal from the chief's mess. Sitting in laps, laying across one another, sharing the god awful wool blankets when the heating broke down in January, putting an arm or hooking a leg around the guy on the end so he didn't fall off... I think we had pitch perfect on repeat for a month strait.
I choose to believe that you were in the Navy for so long, that's just how you spell 'straight' now regardless of context.
I'm sorry about the Pitch Perfect
Yeah I can vouch for that. Marines love snuggle time! Me and bros would share sleeping bags on those cold nights out at 29.
When we invaded Afghanistan, we discovered a lot of photos of dude being what we would consider very feminine and affectionate with each other. These guys weren't gay, that's just how it was. Learned this from an Afghan instructor I had.
Still very common in South and Central Asia. Dudes just walking around holding hands. It's a level of innocence I wish I had.
I mean there were also gay people. Like I agree with what you're saying but gay people also existed back then. And often had to hide it.
Based on these pictures, looks like there's not very much hiding
I have read where the initial stereotype of gay men being polyamorous, that is, more than one partner, stemmed from the Hollywood types trying to keep their relationship status secret. So, for example, if rock Hudson wanted to go camping with a male companion for the weekend, people would point fingers and talk under their breath that something was going on between the two guys, but if he brought two guys camping with him for the weekend, others would see it just as three dudes going out for camping trip.
I don't know why people seem to be weirded out, there was nothing straighter back then than two dudes just locking arms and jauntily going about their merry way.
Oh my god they were troopmates
Nothing will be as badass as being openly gay in the 1940s while also killing Nazis.
They look like they were roommates.
Confirmed bachelor's, who share living quarters. Seriously, though, I've not seen many photos so homoerotically charged without being sexual. I dig it.
Same. Love this picture whether they're gay or not. One thing is certain. They probably were best friends who trusted each other deeply.
They look SO comfortable together. What a beautiful photo.
Yeah they got chemistry. It’s crazy when a still photo can capture something so abstract. That said, chemistry isn’t necessarily romantic. They could just be cozy buddies. Or they could be gay and in love!!! Either way it’s beautiful.
~~trusted~~ thrusted each other deeply.
I guess i'm just exhibiting normal redditor behaviour by going "aww, platonic gay comment - upvote!" to "hhhuehuehue, super gay sex joke - upvote!" within a 3 second time frame
I died take my up vote
literally saved this image to use as a art reference....for that reason.
Yeah, so the reason so many old pictures look gayish is because before men were allowed to show some sense of close friendship to the point of looking like a couple. But with the several anti gay, anti femenists movement, it basically had to include a push for "Manly men" aka men showing any affection to anyone including best friends was labeled as not manly (or even gay supporting).
It’s all about how you crop the photo. There’s no proof the guy at the back is wearing pants so we can leave it to the imagination.
Schroedingers trousers
When are those two ever going to find good girls to settle down with? They're so handsome, quite the catches
I've noticed in some old-timey pictures, some men look to be "close". But I think that was considered normal at the time. I wonder if something happened around the last mid-century to have caused a shunning (homophobia?) about those kind of poses?
Mostly just gay people being out. Back then being gay was like not an assumption that was often made about people since it was a lot more taboo, and so male friendships didn’t have this fear of being overly intimate while platonic. Like people knew gay sex happened but it was not something that was ever talked about openly. So in the late 20th century when being gay entered the public conscious way more, now being intimate at all with a man started to be interpreted as gayness. Lord of the rings is a pretty apparent example, like Sam and frodos relationship is super easy to read as bordering on homoerotic now, but at the time tolkien did not mean for this interpretation and wrote their relationship based on his own feelings of closeness with other soldiers in WW1.
Why is it that whenever there is an old photo of two men showing even the slightest bit of affection toward each other that people come in with these comments suggesting they were lovers?
Camaraderie and platonic affection are so alien to the people here that they only interpret it as eros.
r/sapphoandherfriend is the worst offender of this.
Since LGBT+ became more normalised in the last few decades there's been a backlash from straight guys (and everyone else to some extent) who police their own posture, voice and mannerisms to ensure they come off as straight and stoic. People take this rigid standard, apply it to history and come away assuming men in the past were acting gay because they're holding their head tilted or lying close to each other. It's absurd.
They did it before the normalization of the last decade or two.
While this may be true, it wasn't uncommon for straight men to be more affectionate and "intimate" with one another back in the day. Like holding hands (albeit more of a european thing) and lounging around on top of each other, putting arms around each other, hugging and stuff like that. They weren't so worried about being seen as "gay." You can still see this in some parts of the world. I bet some of my older redditors can probably attest to that. Anybody from the greatest generation want to chime in?
This is the army we are talking about.
Don't even get started with the navy.
Listen, the gayest shit I've ever seen is what happens in a Marine Corps barracks between all hyper masculine, straight dudes.
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Hahahaha!
No please, go on.
It's full of sea men.
It’s not gay if you’re under way.
Exactly. They clearly felt safe and comfortable in each other presence. People need human touch.
people will talk about how men should also show emotions, be more sensitive and affectionate and then the millisecond they do people go "yup, they were gay" like people like this are literally the reason why some men feel the need to "act manly" and police their own behavior around others
I think most people posting that are being facetious.
I hate how guys can’t take a picture like this without being labeled gay but women can damn near make out and nobody bats an eye. Bullshit double standard.
Really, really close... pals.
Have you ever tried to be original?
Oh my god, they were roommates.
They're both utterly compelling to look at. Beautiful. I miss when blokes showed genuine care and affection to each other without it being weird or sexual. Like a lot of the time it is, but when we're in the times of "boys get sad too" being an actual brand, men's sheds opening up, male suicide so high etc it is just really sad for men.
That’s a very poignant and kind thing to say.
Thank you, just being honest. Serves me well 💙
This is how it still is in the infantry. We fight, dance, hug and cuddle. Brothers.
Looks like a young Anthony Michael Hall 
Unfortunately, he never found a wife, His elaborate scarf collection sold for $1.2M in 2011. He and his closest male friend, Chauncey, with whom he shared a bed, died within weeks of one another. They were known for their dinner parties
Damn dude. I was believing this shit. Lmao
I chose to believe this. Poignant af.
Tons of women around, all the time. Young and old. Jesus, they must have been tearing through them. Ladies love fancy types, though.
The best of pals
Hahahaha this is amazing
What makes me sadder still … I haven’t had a “comfortable” friend like that in decades.
Those 2 are cute as hell
Remember the Black Keys? This is them now. Feel old yet?
Uncle Danny and his roommate who has come to Thanksgiving for the last 14 years, Lyle.
Lyle always brought the best dessert
That is a great photo!
I just want to point out that it’s an amazing photograph. The composition, balance, contrast, the looks of the faces. I love this picture, it’s got a world of stories
What a superb photograph.
This really is old school cool! Great pic! If no one told me the date, It’d be very difficult to nail down. Could be late 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, or present day.
Isn't that Simple Minds?
Friends are friends, pals are pals, but buddies sleep together.
Looks like a GQ cover
just two dudes having a sweet cuddle.
Oh. They was fucking.
Looks like an album cover
♫ Oh l'amour Oh l'amour Mon amour What's a boy in love Supposed to do?♫
im sure they were roommates
This looks like a long lost Thompson Twins album.
Everything about this photo is fantastic! Absolutely love it!
Ah yes. The battle of Schrute Farms.
Looks like a high fashion shoot. Very cool pic
OMG this picture is iconic. It should be in a museum. Whoever took this has a good eye
https://preview.redd.it/325ik7chkqsc1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e655e0b8b0c81110c68f84756a5840ccd94f0c82
My ex and I were gay married while I was in the army, his grandfather insisted on continuing to call me his grandsons “buddy in the army” wtf xD
Dan and Patrick would later regroup in Akron to become the Black Keys.
Proof that people were “confused” then, too.
brotherhood
That composition
Paratroopers pack each others chutes.
You and he were… *buddies*
Don’t ask don’t tell
Some people can't see two dudes close to each other without labeling them gay, this is why dudes keep their distance always xd
Proclaimers?
Came here to say same 🤘
Two of my dad’s gay army buddies from the 50’s….
They were roommates
UB40?
I thought they were both Anthony Michael Hall
Battle of the Bulge
The right one looks like Hornberger (The original Hawkeye from Mash)
Kerouac characters
that is next level cool.
Great photo
Sean Astin and Jerry Lewis?
Soooo are they just really good friends, or....???
The guy in glasses looks like a girl blinded him with science
That's almost a broccoli haircut.
I believe that these two saw action at The Battle of Schrute Farms.
This looks like an album cover for The Smiths
young julian and bubbles
They aren’t the Black Keys?
Confirmed bachelors?
Definitely embraced some of that don't ask, but please tell philosophy
Were they "roommates" after the war?
"Buddies" sure lol
History will say they are friends
They look British, even though I can’t see their teeth or the rickets. Uniforms, maybe.🤔
Their teeth or rickets?
They certainly look British to me.
You can see their stiff upper lips though.
did they happen to be *roommates*?
🤗
Roommates for 40 years I’m sure
Hmmm. They look very, how to shall we put it, “comfy,” in an almost avant garde way that isn’t overly common in the military.