MENTAL HEALTH

AND

HOMOSEXUALITY

The theme "Mental Health and Homosexuality" chosen for the 1959 Midwinter Institute proved to be the most popular ever with all sessions of the weekend-long event well attended and enthusiastically ceived.

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Friday night, as usual, was devoted to the Annual Corporation Meeting in which business matters of concern to the voting and non-voting membership were reported and attended to. A friendly reception at the home of R. H. Stuart, a non-voting member, followed.

The next morning The Daughters of Bilitis, The Mattachine Society, and ONE Incorporated each presented a fifteen minute summary of the past year's accomplishments and some of their future plans.

Roundtable discussions occupied the remainder of the Saturday morning session where "Toward Better Mental Health" was stressed in lively

discussion of such topics as "Adjustment through Partnership," "Crea-. tive Expression As Therapy," "Must Christians Live With Guilt," "Sex Repression and Mental Health, "Should Men and Women Homosexuals Associate?" and "Is it Unnatural to be Homosexual?"

A large group of people of every age from the early twenties to . . attended the luncheon and listened eagerly to the address "Accepting Middle Age" given by T. M. Merritt, Ph.D., Dean Emeritis of ONE Institute. Dr. Merritt offered a list of do's and don't's for those approaching the middle years of life. He divided older people into two groups: M. O. A. (middle old age) and O. A. (old age), and thereafter referred to them by initials only. Although by the manner in which he approached his topic, Dr. Merritt's comments brought forth much laughter and mirth, he seriously described the problem of advancing years. He

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