As someone who was raised in Texas I think the study is off a bit. Lots of guys in Texas have a Bud.
Its kind of like this.
although many are homophobic most of Texas really isn't homophobic as the are effemaphobic. ( I made that up years ago) Even much of the gay population is kind of effemaphobic. Meaning they like guys and men to be guys and men. Not guy's acting like girls.
If you ask a lot of people in Texas what their idea of a gay person is? They will straight up tell you that its someone who wants to be a girl.
Sooooo, if you don't act like a queen or have an effeminate voice. You're cool.
As for the sex thing. That goes like this. As long as you don't have sex with a gay guy (effeminate) you are not gay in any way. You're just getting your rocks off with a bud.
I actually went on a cattle drive in west Texas when I was a teen and learned all about cowboys. They were amazed I was gay and couldn't figure it out regardless of how you tried to describe what gay is. Mainly because of how gays were portrayed on Tv and the media back then(70's and 80's). Nobody on the team messed with me in the slightest. I won the calf hearding game, the drinking games and just about any of the other games we played including beating everyone at arm wrestling.
The calf herding was the clincher for me. Having never played the game I didn't know the rules. but what you were supposed to do was go into the herd and either rope or cokes a calf back to the little square box that was marked on the ground. Since I was the newbie they let me go first. I went into the herd and come walking out with a calf around my neck like a scarf. Brought it over and laid it on the ground. Then walked back into the heard and grabed another, through it over my shoulders and come walking back. Did it 4 times in about 20 minutes. Then they told me to just quit and I had won. They were all laughing hysterically at me and the boss said. I have never seen anyone just go into the herd and pickup cows and carry them back. Besides, no one else here could do it more than a couple of times at best.
It was a great time and I met my first love from it.
He was the boss's son.
Saw the same kind of behaviors in the middle east. That as long as you don't say its gay, then there's nothing wrong with it. OH YEA. NO KISSING BETWEEN GUYS!!! That is just too gay. You can fuck and suck all you want but to Kiss? thats just wrong.
Large portions of the world are just so weird.