Sir, – Tanya Sweeney might be interested to know the awkwardness of "paying the bill" occurs in gay first dates too ("How is it okay for a man to pay for your first-date dinner because he's a man?", January 27th). And who pays is not determined by the outdated notion of "who wears the trousers" either.
Rather, it comes down to whom is gracious enough to accept. Indeed, allowing the other person to pay is often a signal that you are interested in a second date, when you might reciprocate. There are many ways to interpret this tricky social dynamic. – Yours, etc,
NATASHA BROWNE,
Delgany,
Co Wicklow.
