It was a special day for Martin, celebrating his 18th birthday. His closest friend, Justin, a member of the football team, had bought him several presents. Other classmates had gathered to see Martin open his gifts. Halfway through, Martin became emotionally overwhelmed by his friend’s generosity, and hugged Justin in front of all his friends.
This event occurred in a normal English sixth form during a regular school week. Martin and Justin, both popular heterosexual students, were expressing the love that they had for each other in an open and public manner. Given that homophobia has traditionally forced men to avoid public displays of emotion, this scene may read like a fairytale. However, it reflects the reality of the everyday experience of teenage boys that we documented over the course of a year in three ordinary sixth forms in the south of England.
