The same is true in the matter of occupations. In the first place, within the last half century, our society, at least, has completely reversed its long-held view that "a woman's place is in the home," but it has not made a comparable reversal in its rule that in order to have the respect of the community (and maintain his own self-respect) a man must be self-supporting. But it has changed the rules applying to women even farther-now a woman may be an engineer or a lawyer or a machinist or an aviator or a politician and receive nothing but plaudits and admiration for her mastery of what is generally considered a masculine occupation, but a man who takes up stenography or dressmaking or hairdressing (or even interior decorating!) is looked upon with mild scorn if not outright suspicion. So a lesbian, if she enjoys pursuing a "masculine" occupation, and many do, is free-even encouraged to do so, but the poor male homosexual (or any other male, for that matter) who happens to like a more "feminine" occupation, must either do a kind of work he detests or be prepared to face public scorn and ridicule if he does have the courage to follow his natural inclinations. And there is nothing which takes the joy out of life to quite such an extent as being unhappy in one's work.

This same situation exists in the field of hobbies and recreation. With the possible exceptions of football and boxing, all forms of sports and athletics are open to women, and the greater her proficiency the more she is admired, but the man who enjoys doing embroidery work or crocheting doilies for relaxation must either keep his hobby a deep, dark secret or become a laughing stock. A woman may drink, smoke, play poker, sit at a bar, frequent baseball games and prize fights-in short, do just about as she chooses for relaxation and recreation without being thought in the least queer but a man must confine himself to "manly" interests if he wishes to avoid causing speculation as to his sexual habits as well.

Now we come to one of the most important factors of all in the comparative

normalcy in which lesbians are allowed to live, and that, again, is based on the difference in the rules society has laid down governing "proper" conduct for women and men. First, the only permissable public physical contact between two men is the handshake, or a brisk, hearty slap on the back, but two women may walk down the street arm-in-arm, kiss warmly in greeting and lea-taking or in any sudden burst of exuberance, for that matter), address each other in profusely affectionate terms and pay each other extravagant compliments, all publicly and openly, and it is considered perfectly normal behavior. This tolerance on the part of society permits lesbians to act naturally in public without flying in the face of convention, but the male homosexual must never, under any circumstance, publically express the slightest trace of ardor or affection for a male companion, regardless of how great a desire he may have to do so, or he is apt to be arrested on the spot. Then, too, society permits two women to live together, for their entire lives if they so choose, in as great an intimacy as any husband and wife enjoy without anyone considering such an arrangement in the least improper or "suspicious". But about the only conditions under which two men may live together for any length of time without causing eyebrows to raise and speculations to begin is as roommates at school. This lenient attitude toward women allows lesbians to form enduring relationships and lead lives as normal as that of the average married couple (and a great many do) but society grants no such privilege to the male homosexual. Then it condemns him for his promiscuity in the same breath it makes it impossible for him to be monogamous.

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