individuals who indulge such thinking, while they themselves become stereotypes, with an inexorable toll of brutalizing and cancerous effects.

Mr. Baker felt that the homosexual must learn to see himself as more alike than different from his fellows. He felt that as he sought for this kind of a rapprochment even from "one other person" he would have paved the way to general acceptance and cited the precious gift the homosexual can make to society: his sympathetic ability to understand other minority groups.

Dr. Auerback traced the development of the great hostility against male homosexuals in this culture. to incidents in English laws. He felt optimistic about changes for the better, mentioning how only recently syphilis, tuberculosis and cancer were also unmentionable subjects. The public must be shown that homosexuality is not a contagious disease or a great threat to the body politic, but that it just IS and cannot be squelched.

He suggested that homosexuals should be active in society, showing that they could do things and help with the problems of others too. He recommended conformity as much as possible with outward mores and policing of the group by itself.

Principal speaker at the Annual Banquet was Dr. David Schmidt, Chief Psychiatrist, San Quetin Prison. He spoke of the much he had learned about homosexuality in his 25 years at the Prison and from the more than 100,000 prisoners during that period. In speaking of causes of homosexuality he said we are all the products of one man and woman, with no choice as to our ancestors. He also said that no one is either 100% male or female.

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Of those asking for psychiatric help the staff at San Quentin can serve only one in five, due to the large numbers. It was Dr. Schmidt's opinion that although some homosexuals may be born that way, the larger part acquire their homosexuality. He stated that most homosexual males appeared to be masculine in physical structure and the homosexual females to be feminine in physical structure, contrary to popular belief. Interestingly, there are less mental defectives, percentage-wise, among homosexuals than among the average prison population.

Dr. Schmidt listed various treatments used to attempt to "cure" homosexuality among the prisoners: injections from goat glands did not alter the love-object; pituitary injections had little or no results; sterilization, results only with a few mental defectives; orthodectomy, of no effect after puberty; spinal fluid examinations, inconclusive; fever treatment, without result; insulin tonic and insulin shock, without results; electric shock treatments, substantially no results. Of all the treatments attempted Dr. Schmidt reported group-therapy units, whereby the prisoners were helped to understand their own defense mechanisms as being the most use-

ful.

Other sessions included the playing of various taped speeches and broadcast programs about homosexuality and an afternoon workshop panel participated in by representatives of the Daughters of Bilitis, Pan-Graphic Press, ONE, Incorporated and the Mattachine Society in which problems and progress of the various groups were discussed.