Hugs and kisses!

One thing that I've never quite understood about gay culture is all the hugging and kissing.

Every time I see certain friends (who are gay) we hug and/or kiss hello and goodbye. Now, there is nothing wrong with this at all. I very much enjoy it.

But I just wonder where this came from in the gay world. I mean, you don't see straight people kissing and hugging their goodbyes and hellos all the time, do you?

I've been so accostomed to this that I now hug some candidates hello and goodbye which is just weird on so many levels. I don't know why I do it; I just do. I've been immersed the gay lifestyle for so long, I'm sucked in deep and will never get out. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)

So please, can someone explain to me the hugging an kissing your hellos and goodbyes to me?!