Geoff Saunders, the homosexual author of Other People and Watch My Lips, says the tactic has gained popularity over the past 18 months. But now, according to tomorrow's edition of Cosmopolitan magazine, heterosexual men are taking advantage of the vogue.
Gay best friends are a celebrity must-have - Madonna is seen out with Rupert Everett, Geri Halliwell turned to George Michael in her hour of need, and Sex And The City character Carrie Bradshaw relies on gay friend Stanford Blatch. 'I never actively claim to be gay, but by simply giving women the impression I might be I find practically without exception there's more chance they will sleep with me when they realise I'm heterosexual,' admitted Graham, a 28-year-old computer expert from south London. It's a trick, they insist, that delivers the required results. But they are not like any other gay couple: they are 'Strays' - enthusiastic players of a new dating game gaining currency across the country when STRaight men pretend to be gAY to attract women.
