This is interesting. I don’t have a ticklish reaction, but I find it hard to believe that someone who is legitimately ticklish wouldn’t be at least a bit ticklish when tickled by the same sex. Could be the type of tickling you’ve received, but in a relaxed environment, I think most ticklish men would still be ticklish if another man tickled them. It’s a complex feeling to be sure, but that’s also part of the beauty of tickling. It’s fairly non-discriminate.
For sure it's strange, but I suppose tickling is strange. It might seem indiscriminate in some ways, but most of what we interpret as tickling is regulated by the brain and psychological state, which is highly context dependent. And that's just it–For me, being tickled by a male is never a relaxed environment. I think for me, a lot of the disparity between male and female has to do with my interactions with them and perceptions of them. For example, in my martial arts background, I did a lot of grappling with both genders, but saw them very differently. I was always more careful with females than males. The males triggered much more of a primal fight state in my mind. When any kind of tickling is happening, if with a female, I do not get that triggered primal response. If male, as far as my brain is concerned, we are in combat–It barely tickles–it's time to fight. Some exceptions are surely likely with this. For example, I think I'd be more ticklish on my feet than elsewhere, but still overwhelmingly reduced from my baseline.
