International Day Against Homophobia 2010

In some parts of Britain there's been a disturbing rise in the number of homophobic hate crimes.

What do we really think, as a nation, of same-sex relationships?

That was what Welsh rugby player, Gareth Thomas wanted to find out on Tonight an ITV programme broadcast at 7.30pm last Thursday, and introduced by former Newsround presenter Julie Etchingham.

Julie: Tonight. We like to think we're a tolerant nation, but are we really? .... How easy is it to change hearts and minds?

A survey for the programme showed that 1 in 4 people in Britain thought the sight of a same sex couple holding hands offensive, and nearly half would be offended if a gay couple kissed in public.

Nathaniel and Nick took part in an experiment, in which they walked hand-in-hand down a street in Wigan -

Emma Kenny (psychologist): The thing I found most shocking about today is that, whilst I found lots of people making homophobic comments walking past our couple, very few of them were willing to go on camera and, for the record, state them. And that represents to me an undercurrent of feelings that are hidden, and that's the problem. Because when things are hidden they can't get dealt with.

Tonight - Afraid to be Gay is available to view on the ITVplayer for another 3 weeks or so.