tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

Appearances notwithstanding, this column doesn't aim at being a mere catalogue of scandals. But coverage of this sort of news presents special problems. The press (our chief source) seldom mentions homosexuals except in sordid scandals. So that's what the news generally is.

There might be room for gossip about who's in Capri with whom; about which celebrity married in haste after a mauling in the smut-&-slander mags; but my belief that certain contemporaries are homosexual doesn't justify saying so in print. Such commitments should be up to them. We're left with police & court records, scattered news about" characters" or about people who've publicly attacked, defended, or otherwise associated their names with the subject, followups on publicized affairs & news about those few openly identified as homosexual.

Peter Wildeblood, whose fine book, Against the Law, on his trial and imprisonment we've reviewed, has new book done (still negotiating for American publication of 1st). . . James Barr Fugate (Quatrefoil & Game of Fools) recently moved to NYC, expects to round off 2nd novel & try for production of Mamma Doll, 2nd play.

MATTACHINE membership badly dwindled in Calif, but lively new chapters in Chi, NYC, WashDC, etc, with several fine local newsletters. Last REVIEW edited by N. Y. group. L.A. MATTACHINE recently heard resume of Dr. Hooker's Chicago report

one

to Amer. Psych, Assn., demonstrating statistically fallacy of claim homosexuals are demonstrably neurotic... Tho ONE & MATTACHINE are separate organizations, notion still crops up that ONE is MATTACHINE publication. The brief feuding between groups is long since past. In such a field as this, there's room for more than one approach.

NAT'L ASSN. FOR SEXUAL RESEARCH, formerly L.A. Mattachine Legal Chapter, had elaborate program for legal defense, law reform & general research, but after a year of meetings here, they've defuncted. DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS in Frisco seems to be growing, tho still small. 1st issue of THE LADDER, their publication, available.

Is it news ONE has trouble with monthly schedule? Inside Dope (if you hadn't guessed): We all work for living, do this in spare time. Each time an issue's finally ready for printer, that man needs money, so we cool our heels til it dribbles in. Now & then we almost catch up & someone takes sick. But bear with us.

ONE, Inc. exists for several purposes besides publishing ONE. Our fledgling library, book service, Game of Fools, Midwinter Institutes & ONECONFIDENTIAL are starts in other directions. Our 2nd book, now being bound, should be in the mails before this is. Our Education Dept., now launching 1st series of exploratory classes on historic, scientific, philosophic aspects of homosexuality.

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