Homosociality

Homosocial relationships were more clearly pronounced in earlier eras when socializing closely with the same sex had not gained the homosexual connotations that often accompany them through a modern viewing. “The clearly defined separate social spheres for women and men - both the public and private for men, and most often the domestic for women - gave rise to clearly defined same-sex cultures, usually referred to as “homosocial” (Bronski 32). While homosocial relationships do not necessarily involve eroticism, these relationships certainly could encompass that as well. Earlier in American history people were not able express homosexuality openly, so often these desires were fulfilled through homosocial practices. [Alex]

See also: bromance