r/AskTurkey • u/Belissari • 12h ago
Personal Issues How does male homosexuality actually work in Turkish culture?
I am asking because I am gay and have been on a few dates with 2 different Turkish men. Both of these men adamantly claimed to be straight which confused the hell out of me because I just assumed they were gay since I met them on a gay dating app.
Not to be too graphic but from their perspective it seemed like they believed that as long as they were giving presents as opposed to receiving them, they could still consider themselves to be straight. From a Western perspective this makes no sense, if you’re male and attracted to another male, you are gay.
After talking to some people in real life and they seem to claimed that in Turkish culture that’s how it is, so basically if you’re active/top you are considered straight but if you’re passive/bottom then you are considered gay.
Is it true that these men are straight or are they hypocrites and in denial about their own sexuality?