EDITORIAL

There are men who are homosexual. There are women who are homosexual. Scarcely profound statements, it might be thought, yet in practice many male homosexuals have as little to do with women as possibleany women, and couldn't be less interested in lesbians. Ugh! they say. On the other hand there are lesbians who just couldn't imagine themselves voluntarily associating with men, much less a bunch of male homosexuals.

If our psychologist friends are in any degree right about the neuroticism of homosexuals, here would appear to be a most fertile breeding ground for neuroses-twin groups, each clinging tightly to its own little closed society, eyes tightly shut to even the existence of the other twin. Whether neurotic or not is really beside the point. The fact is the whole. attitude is absurd. At least that is the attitude ONE has taken from the very beginning.

In the days when the Corporation was being planned, as an organization devoted to the welfare of homosexuals, it was unanimously agreed that this meant men and women, the basic question being homosexuality, not what the two sexes might be thinking about it. And so a woman was on the staff of ONE Magazine then, and women have been on its staff ever since. There have been women as voting members of the Corporation taking a part in shaping policies, helping to chart its course. Women have been in the classes at ONE INSTITUTE. A woman was elected Director of the Corporation and has served as Chairman of the Board.

To us all this seems only natural. Evidently other homophile organizations do not in all respects agree. At least a number of them take quite different positions. In this country the Mattachine Society has had few women in its various chapters, although welcoming them. The Daughters of Bilitis, as its name implies, excludes men from membership, although admitting them to certain of its public meetings.

In Europe, women appear to be welcomed and take some part in a number of the homophile organizations, notably in Holland, Norway and Sweden. Their position at present in Danish, French and German organizations is less clearly defined to the casual observer, while in Switzerland, Der Kreis, the oldest and one of the largest of all the organizations does not admit women either as members or as participants.

Here, at ONE, we feel that there has been far too much disunity and lack of togetherness among homophile organizations already. Without subscribing to the school of thought which feels that honest differences of approach should all be submerged in the interests of having a single "big and powerful" organization, it still seems to us healthier to recognize that hompohilia and homosexuality are questions of common concern to both men and women. Why then get off into separate corners to work? Why should we not learn to work together, even if there might be some areas in which our problems and needs are somewhat different.

The men and women of ONE have found it fun working with each other in the various divisions of the Corporation. We have each learned much from the other, and are convinced that it is not only pleasant but sensible for us to work side by side at our tasks. We like it that way. Alison Hunter, Associate Editor

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