Simon Fanshawe in today’s Guardian writes about a forthcoming BBC3 documentary he’s made. He talks about the London gay scene, in which I spent 12 long years.

“…we have to grow out of our teenage years of sex and drugs and mocking the old, and embrace a future of fidelity and responsibility.”

I am not convinced that the fact that some men have lots of sex, whenever and wherever they can find it, has anything to do with sexual orientation or modern notions of sexual identity or equality. I am also not convinced that the only route to emotional and psychological maturity is via “fidelity” – ie monogamous relationship. The road of excess can indeed lead to the palace of wisdom.

As Billy Crystal jokes, when women have sex, they need a reason, when men have sex, we just need a place. What Simon is writing about is the tragedy/comedy of being male, of being human with lots of testosterone, plenty of spare cash, and no children to be responsible for.