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available. I'm satisfied that in the coming years ONE will continue to grow in stature and in wisdom.

To the Editor:

Mr. W.

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

No matter how much looking inward I do, realizing that here lie fundamental answers to my needs, there is still that side of one which loves to hob-nob with other gay people and to know that one is not alone.

Thus it was, with the discovery of a few gay bars in the area, plus again getting ONE in the mail, my feelings took a decided upswing. Frankly, it is nice to belong to the family, in the sense of your Editoral (DEcember, 1958).

My first, quick impressions of gay life in Florida are of much less cooperation and unity than I observed on the west coast. In my own little way I would like to further that unity here, if possible.

Mr. H.

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA

Dear Editor and Staff:

Your Magazine is continually getting better. You are heroes for breaking the ice, in an ice age. You are one of Toynbee's disengaged minorities. The reply may not meet the challenge, but we're in the lists now.

Dear Sir:

Mr. F. CLEVELAND, OHIO

It seems high time someone tossed the ball back to that well-meaning psychiatrist who can never resist tempering his daring leniency with the sneaky little proviso: "All the homosexuals I've encountered have been sick people who wanted desperately to lead a normal life." All well and good, so far. This is undoubtedly true of any of us who finds his way to that comforting couch. But has anyone stopped to ask himself why this is invariably so?

Suppose that our so-called normal counterparts, upon feeling the first call of love, were to find themselves harshly censured and cruelly vilified for the only natural expression of that love. How many of them could stand up to the ostracism of a society which forced them shamefully to hide their greatest joy? Would any but the strongest of them be able to remain independent of that psychiatrist?

'Tis a pity that inevitably the minority group must be known to the "in-group" only by the measure of its weekest and least admirable members. Thus, we the many welladjusted couples-must remain anonymous, smouldering with mute resentment at the unwarranted defilement of our most precious feelings. How can we speak, when to reveal our happiness would be to destroy it? Miss B.

Dear ONE:

NEW YORK, N. Y.

Not only does ONE serve a great need by bringing each of us into a deeper understanding of our place in life, but also, it serves to strengthen our ability to accept ourselves through the mutual understanding of the problems of others.

Dr. Blanche M. Baker's "Toward Understanding column gives me great hope that in the future she will touch more profoundly upon her thesis of shedding "some light upon the gloom, fear, shame, guilt, disgust and lack of self-confidence" which plagues most of us. Of even greater importance is the fact that Dr. Baker feels, as a psychiatrist, that there is a definite place and objective in life. for each homophile. This is something most medical people, as well as educators, seem unable to comprehend.

Dear Editor:

Mr. B.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

In searching for happiness it seems to me that there is a choice of three broad paths to follow. 1. To believe that homosexuality is in itself a bad thing and to keep most of one's emotional life permanently suppressed and carefully concealed. This attitude of self-rejection or hate of self, causing either a permanent or intermittent state of tension and conflict within the personality, can never result in true lasting happiness. At best this person will lead an outwardly peaceful, even pleasant, existence, respected, with a circle of friends, quite possibly engaging in charitable works of value to society. At worst the continual tension will lead to a complete nervous breakdown, insanity, perhaps suicide.

2. To take part in the underworld life of the parks, streets and gay bars with their hitand-run affairs. Nothing more than temporary relief can be expected in this twilight world and may well give substance to the belief that

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