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IS THERE A

By John Nosek and

Leon Stevens

Current trends in both science and psychology indicate it won't be long before wo/mankind becomes aware of the variables causing particular sexual manifestations. Such a discovery could easily happen within our lifetimes and will directly affect the future existence or extinction of gay people and culture.

Presently, in the "progressive" hills of Southern California gender-minded behaviorists are manufacturing a nightmare Clockwork Orange scenario.Under the misguided notion that it is merely conditioning which causes sexual preferences, such gender engineers are eagerly applying behavior mod techniques to reinforce rigid gender stereotypes upon children. One such "rehabilitation center" is the Child Gender Dept. in the Psychology Clinic of the University of California at Los Angeles. Its current slew of victims includes a dozen young males who suffer from that "dreaded "affliction" called effeminacy.

If we look through the oneway window we see little Johnny Jones, age 5, standing around a therapy table scattered with toys. There's a set of plastic soldiers, a plastic race car with friction motor, a plastic toy submachine gun with adjustable trigger, dolls, toy tea sets, and purses. We can also see Johnny's mother acting oddly.

When Johnny picks up the submachine gun, she immediately looks up from her book, all smiles and encouragement; but then if he drops it and grabs a doll instead, she abruptly breaks off in midsmile and returns, frowning, to her book, ignoring any comments Johnny. might make. Meanwhile in the background through stilted earphones the gender masters give: the cues: "Stop talking to him now.," "Quick, smile," "O.K. Look away from him now, hurry:"

No doubt, the human mind is infinitely programmable. It's a tedious task; but one the gender enforcers find essential in order to maintain the "harmonius differences" between the sexes Bit by bit, Johnny's "feminine. sex-typed" behaviors are successfully "extinguished" and ""masculine sex-typed" behaviors implanted in their

place.

APRIL 1976

GAY FUTURE?

playing, gestures and voice inflections, and aversion to "masculine" play are usually ostracized by their peers and thus have adjustment problems. Without treatment, he believes, these children will become transvestites, transsexuals, and/or homosexuals, all of whom, he adds, must confront serious problems in a society largely hostile to their existence.

In the enactment of gender enforcing, classical Palvlovian conditioning instruments are utilized. (Some might say, "bribes.") "Proper" behavior such as playing "cowboys" or "army" with other boys is reinforced by dispensing blue poker chips which may be traded in for rewards, such as candy, TV time, trips to amusement parks; "wrong" behavior is punished and eventually "extinguished" by distribution of red poker chips which are subtracted from blue ones and result in corner sitting or in some instances, spankings.

To date, no long-term followup has been made on any clients. It is doubtful, however, that these children's sexual ...orientations were modified. At most, Rekers and crew have created butch male homosexuals who have learned to hate anything feminine a dubious achievement, if one at all.

The rationale underlying the UCLA "Child Gender" Program which presently has funding from the National Intitute of Mental Health, is allegedly to do. good. Dr. George Rekers, the project director who is working under principal director, Dr. O. lvar Lavaas, observes that children with "gender disturbances" marked by varying degrees of cross-dressing, feminine role-

Upon analysis of the situation we find that what the gender enforcers fail to perceive is that many animals do not display role behavior except during mating season. Such role behavior is unlikely to be witnessed by offspring until the offsprings' sexual orientation has already developed. In the case of some mammals the offspring may never see both parents and yet may show a homosexual response pattern.

The "Child Gender" Program at UCLA and others perpetuate the common stereotype that gays are effeminate. These academicians feel that simply by

modifying the superficial behavior and attitudes of a child that his/her fixed internal sexual mechanism will also be transformed.

Granted, if a child shows nonathletic behavior early in life, he may have trouble socializing or adjusting to the habits of other children. The maladjustment may or may not be reflected in later problems whether one is gay or straight. (Indeed, it would be interesting to see a psychologist's study on the childhood behavior of his heterosexual clients. We surmise there would be a significant number of children who did not successfully fulfill the role expectations of others and were nonathletic.) The issue is that scientists, psychotherapists, and the like have yet to prove that any such "role maladjustments" have anything to do with sexuality. We in the gay community know enough "average" or "butch" gays to validate this premise. How many psychologists and psychiatrists actually know of gay men who are athletes, swimmers, track enthusiasts, gymnasts, and football players?

No one knows for sure what causes homosexuality; but, of course, it is certain there is a

source(s). Since homosexuality is widespread among most higher-ordered species, it must have an evolutionary advantage for higher species. While it is certain homosexuality per se is not hereditary, the propensity for. homosexuality must be. That is to say, everyone must surely carry in his/her genes some agent which makes homosexual development possible and which may be activated by as yet unidentified stimuli.

In any case, we can be certain that a) homosexuality is a positive factor and useful to societies which exhibit it and b) that teaching of roles, especially specific and limited cultural conventions can neither en-