Public Displays Of Affection Research Articles

Public Displays of Affection

Public Displays of Affection is a multimedia project on makeshift, spontaneous, and unconventional memorials randomly encountered throughout Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Small-scale, personal, and ad hoc in nature, each documents the passing of marginalized and lesser-known individuals. Found in random spaces of civic sprawl, these sites were documented between 2019 and 2022 in public housing, alleyways, sidewalks, storefronts, parking lots, bridges, parks, street poles, and apartment lobbies. If we are all interconnected, death, loss, and grief are obvious equalizers. These ad hoc memorials, disengaged from commerce or the need for social likes, often yield beautiful, community-minded, radical expressions of love.

The feminine target: Gender expression in same-sex relationships as a predictor of experiences with public displays of affection

The extent to which sexual minority individuals present publicly as masculine, feminine, or both has been associated with their perceptions of threat and safety in public spaces. The current study investigates the role of gender expression in men and women’s experiences of public displays of affection (PDAs) in same-sex relationships. Participants (N = 528) reported their own gender expression as well as that of their partner, perceptions of support for PDAs, PDA-related vigilance, general vigilance and overall PDA frequency. Men in same-sex relationships reported less frequent PDAs and greater PDA-related vigilance than women, while women reported greater overall variability in their gender expression than men. Multiple regression analyses show femininity within the participant (for men) or their partner (for both men and women) was associated with greater general and PDA-related vigilance. These findings align with previous research on femmephobia, in which femininity is described as making individuals feel ‘targeted’ for other forms of oppression (e.g., homophobia, sexism, transphobia; Hoskin, 2019 ). Although femininity was associated with greater vigilance, the association between masculinity within a same-sex relationship and vigilance was more tenuous, demonstrating evidence of masculinity serving as both a potential target for homophobic violence as well as a source of protection. The dual nature of masculinity was particularly salient among women in same-sex relationships, where masculinity tempered by femininity was associated with greater perceived support for PDAs but for women with partners low in femininity, the more masculine their partner, the greater their reported levels of vigilance.

Hold my hand: Associations between minority stress, commitment, and PDA for same-gender couples

For those who are in a same-gender relationship, there is likely a negative association between experiences of minority stress and willingness to engage in public displays of affection (PDA). One’s willingness to engage in PDA when experiencing sexual minority stress may, however, depend on perceived relationship commitment with one’s partner; wherein people who are more committed may be more willing to engage in PDA. Data from 95 same-gender couples were used to examine the association between minority stress and PDA behaviors, and possible moderating effects of relationship commitment. Results showed minority stress was negatively associated with PDA behaviors for those who reported low commitment, but not high commitment. Implications and future directions are presented.

Tender Gestures in heteronormative spaces. Displaying affection in public by families of choice in Poland

This article discusses the ways in which non-heterosexual people living in Poland understand and navigate displaying affection in public. I trace how LGBTQ people negotiate and develop their strategies of (in)visibility. I investigate the landscape of queer visibility outside ‘the West’ and in particular discuss concepts developed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). I argue that the geographies of sexualities should pay more attention to public displays of affection (PDA) from the perspective of agentic queer subjects. I propose an approach based on tenderness to capture and understand the ambiguity and complexity of strategies of (in)visibility. The paper draws on research on the intimate life of non-heterosexual people living in Poland that included 53 individual in-depth narrative interviews and a monthly ethnographic study conducted with 21 non-heterosexual families.

Reactions to homosexual, transgender, and heterosexual public displays of affection

At least two factors may influence reactions to public displays of affection (PDA): personal level of comfort with PDA and attitudes toward sexual minorities. In three studies, we measured participants’ reactions to videotaped heterosexual, homosexual, and transgender PDA. A measure was created to evaluate comfort with PDA. Across all studies, we found that comfort with PDA predicted participant reactions toward PDA. We also found that participants were generally comfortable with viewing all PDA scenarios, but participants were most comfortable viewing heterosexual PDA and least comfortable viewing transgender PDA. Finally, we found that multiple measures of homophobic attitudes predicted reactions to PDA featuring sexual minorities.

Public Displays of Affection in Same-Sex vs. Opposite-Sex Couples and the Influence of Loved Ones' Approval

Though progress has been made over the past few decades regarding acceptance of same-sex relationships and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community as a whole, the negative stigma associated with being a member of the community is still prevalent in our society today (Frost, 2011). Frost (2011) explains that negative stereotypes surrounding intimacy as it is expressed in same-sex relationships generate and encourage opportunities for heterosexual relationships to continue conveying affection, while obstructing those same principles from same-sex couples. Individuals involved in same-sex relationships may abstain from engaging in public displays of affection (PDA) out of fear of social disapproval or judgment (Kent & El-Alayli, 2011). Beyond this, limited literature is available addressing public displays of affection in same-sex couples. There is equally little research available regarding parental approval of same-sex couples, particularly regarding college-aged same-sex relationships. This study found significant differences between public displays of affection and sexual orientation. This study also looked at the impact of social approval.

What do two men kissing and a bucket of maggots have in common? Heterosexual men’s indistinguishable salivary α-amylase responses to photos of two men kissing and disgusting images

ABSTRACTThe current study sought to examine how Utah men’s physiological reactions to viewing same-sex public displays of affection (PDA), measured through salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), differ as a function of sexual prejudice, as assessed using the Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG) and the Modern Homonegativity Scale. In examining physiological responses to same-sex PDA, the present study hoped to assist in explaining current levels of anti-gay hate crimes despite growing positive public opinion for the LGBTQ community. Participants in the current study viewed six different slide shows depicting same-sex PDA, mixed-sex PDA, everyday items, and disgusting images, while providing saliva samples in the lab. A series of paired-samples t-tests was performed and found that sAA responses to images of same-sex kissing (t(98) = 3.124, p = .002) and universally disgusting images (t(98) = 2.128, p = .036) were significantly greater than sAA responses to the slide show depicting everyday items. This result held across the full sample, regardless of individual levels of prejudice. The results of the current study suggest that all individuals, not just highly sexually prejudiced individuals, may experience a physiological response indicative of stress when witnessing a male same-sex couple kissing. The possibility of a socialised disgust response to same-sex PDA is discussed.

Public Displays of Affection

Increased consumption of nutrient-poor, high-calorie snack foods is a major contributor to childhood obesity. As mothers play a crucial role in children's food intake, investigating factors that affect their child-feeding decisions is vital in framing a response to the problem. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one mothers regarding junk food requests from children and the strategies they employed for managing these. Analysis revealed twenty variables that affected decision-making. These were utilized in a survey of fifty additional mothers aimed at measuring the relative importance of each factor on child-feeding decisions. Results highlight social and symbolic aspects of eating, as well as structural influences on mother–child interactions, particularly the demonstration of caring through feeding socially valued “junk,” tension between mother and worker roles, and the influence of peers on child-feeding. Nutritional concerns were rarely central to mothers' calculations, suggesting that health promotion strategies that presume their primacy miss the mark.

The Effect of Parental Divorce on Discomfort and Cardiac Activity in Response to Public Displays of Affection in College Females

Two studies examined the effect of parental divorce on feelings of discomfort and cardiac activity in response to public displays of affection (PDAs). In the first study, females from divorced homes reported marginally significant higher discomfort in response to PDAs than females from intact homes. In the second study, 32 female participants (16 from divorced homes and 16 from intact homes) viewed a PDA video and a control video and subsequently were asked to complete the same measure of discomfort as in Study 1. Interbeat intervals (IBIs) were recorded, and mean IBI and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were derived. IBI and RSA increased in both groups in response to the videos over baseline. No differences were found between the divorce and intact groups for responses to the PDA video. However, the divorce group had higher heart rates and lower RSA overall, which suggests a potential mechanism for the association between divorce and negative physical health outcomes in women. Future studies should examine mediators of the relationship between divorce and reactions to PDA, such as marital conflict and parenting quality.

Private and Public Displays of Affection Among Interracial and Intra‐Racial Adolescent Couples*

Objective. This article examines variation in displays of affection between interracial and intra‐racial adolescent couples.Method. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States, we estimate hierarchical linear models to compare characteristics of interracial and intra‐racial relationships among white, African‐American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American adolescents. In our comparisons we highlight three dimensions of relationship attributes: public display, private display, and intimate physical contact.Results. Our findings suggest that interracial couples are less likely than intra‐racial couples to exhibit public and private displays of affection, but are not different from intra‐racial couples in intimate displays of affection.Conclusions. Social barriers against interracial dating still exist such that even though interracial couples are similar to intra‐racial couples in their levels of intimacy in private, they are less comfortable displaying their feelings in public.

Public displays of affection among Asian and Latino heterosexual couples.

The present study used naturalistic observation to investigate whether public touching behavior differs as a function of the interactants' race or ethnicity. Heterosexual dyads (22 Asian, 22 Latino; average age = 24 years) were observed while walking through the campus of a large western university. Some support was found for the notion that interactants from "contact" cultures, e.g., Latin America, are more contact-prone than those from "noncontact" cultures, e.g., Asia. Specifically, Latino male-female dyads were more likely to embrace while walking in public than Asian male-female dyads.

Public Displays of Affection: Political Community through Critical Empathy

Reflects on the notion of community in public life. Considers the importance of developing and sustaining affective relationships in the larger public sphere, engaging in civic literacy (publicly consequential acts of citizenship) complemented and sustained by civil literacy (characterized by a willingness to listen), supported by critical empathy (establishing affective connections with other human beings).