I'm not asking for anyone's personal details or why you think a certain way,
my point is sexual bias is oozing from this thread, even when stated bluntly by those saying it's not their reasoning.
a touch on the knee isn't really a big deal when it's used in a way to say "hey, this is serious business, what's going on" same as a touch on the elbow, shoulder, arm etc.
You can be of the opinion that nobody should be touching anybody ever, I happen to think it's perfectly fine in a lot of circumstances.
If i'm out with people I don't know very well, and someone puts their hand on my shoulder and points off to something funny and starts laughing, i'm probably laughing too. If we're sitting chatting and something more serious happens and they put both hands on my shoulders and pull me in a bit closer and say "we have to get out of here there's a fire in the bathroom, i'm ok with it. If i'm in a meeting with a staffer i've had meetings with before and we're talking about something important and he or she puts their hand on my knee to say, are you bullshitting me, or is this really it, I don't have a problem with it.
I think those sorts of touches are important and a big part of human communication and people are so afraid of the boogie man it's all getting tossed away. People can't touch anybody anymore for anything or the boogie man comes out. Teachers can't touch kids, couselors won't touch patients, doctors are now being asked again to be human with patients in some places, in others, they're still scared of the boogie man and dont' want any of it.
so far all we're ending up with is a large population that doesn't know how to deal with normal human contact. Interpersonal relationships certainly aren't any better. Professional contact whether between adults or kids certainly isn't on a upward trend and I'd have to say people's behavior in general isn't really all that stellar.