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EDITORIAL

There were few in January, 1953, who would confidently have predicted that America's first magazine devoted to the subject of homosexuality should have been able to carry on at all, despite opposition from both enemies and misguided friends, quite without endowments, wellheeled backers, or subscribed capital. This has in itself made publishing history. More important are the things the Magazine has said and done in the past five years. What are some of them?

During 1953 the general patterns were being established. There were articles dealing with the subject from a scientific point of view. There was history, new and old. There were critical articles on topies, such as: Homosexual Marriage, Evolution's Next Step, The Homosexual Culture. There was a little poetry and fiction, included to make the issues as interesting as possible to the general reader.

In 1954 a number of innovations appeared. There was a vigorous attack on reported illegal acts against homosexuals by various public officials in Miami, the first time the homosexual had ever dared "to talk back." The lifting of morale and arousing of public opinion which followed were encouraging. The February issue, devoted entirely to "The Feminine Viewpoint," served emphatic notice that women's problems were to be discussed, as well as men's.

In April, 1954, there was an exposé of the nauseous McFadden Publications' attacks against homosexuals, and one of their writers, the notorious Arthur Guy Mathews, former "private eye" snooper and cheap sensationalist, posing as "an authority" on homosexuality, although a member (according to the American Medical Association) of "an organization of cultists, quacks, and faddists." Posing as a Doctor, the AMA could find no evidence that he had any medical education whatever. "Quack" Mathews dodged ONE's request that he state where he had received his doctor's degree. The most recent book of this pitiful little hanger-on is reviewed on a following page.

In 1955 the Magazine reached a peak in number of pages printed and in lavish use of illustration and color. Some "names" began to appear, such as Norman Mailer, Albert Ellis, Clarkson Crane.

In 1956 and 1957 the established patterns continued, with the quality of the stories and poetry steadily improving, and recently "The New Look," a printing process for the first time enabling the Magazine to

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