boy put his hand on mine and said "I love you." When I heard this I When I heard this I felt very wonderful inside, but even though I was in love too I was still very timid and afraid, so saying nothing I ran away. That night I did not sleep; I was very happy just thinking about him. I wanted to tell the whole world about our love, but I knew that it was impossible, completely impossible. For that reason that same night I decided to change my work and the next morning I did not go back to the store. I found another job, but it was not easy to forget him. My love was strong and I thought of him all day remembering his words "I love you. I started to write poems based on our love. If I occasionally happened to see him I refused to speak, still afraid of my family, although the sight of him made me happy. This feeling of love lasted about two years when my family decided to come to the United States. Little by little I forgot him.
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My second love was similar to the first and with the same end. The third man in my life came to me when I was twenty years old; he was twenty also, and we worked at the same place. I was still timid and serious, but this boy made me talk and laugh. He had a nice character and a good sense of humor and because of these things I loved him. One day he told me, "I love you very much." I thought I was in heaven at that moment and I do not know where I found the courage to tell him, "I love you too." We were so happy. For the first time I accepted a relationship with a man I loved and for the first time I was really happy. He used to take me home, but of course he never entered my house because I was still afraid of my family. One night he kissed me but I was frozen with fear and considered that I was committing a crime. He understood my feelings, so we did not have any sexual relations. I have never had any such experience in my whole life. We
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kept our love for one year until one day he told me he had to leave with his father to another city. He asked me to go with him. But I said "No, you go alone. You will find happiness somewhere with someone but not with me. I will pray for you." I will never forget the afternoon he left; we both cried. Now I am twenty-three and I still remember him. I do not cry anymore but I think I still love him.
About a month ago I saw the magazine ONE on the newsstand. I had not known the existence of a magazine of this kind. I found it very interesting -especially for me where a terrible complex of inferiority has ruined my life. I am still very shy, my family does not mention my manners anymore, but I feel so lonely without a friend and with this guilty feeling. Please tell me, does a homosexual have the right to love and be loved as any other human? Is it a crime to love a man with all my heart? Is it wrong to have relations with a man? Please tell me something about these things. I am all confused. Will I have to live my life crying and and suffering forever?
I am very grateful to you, P. H. S.
Dear P.H.S.:
It was a heart moving experience to read the story of your frustrated loves. Despite the oppositions you have encountered you have known some tragically beautiful experiences. Certainly, every human being has the right to experience a full, rich love life and I hope you have the courage to overcome the inhibitions and oppositions thrust upon you by your family in order to know the fullness of life with another person. The answer to your first question is, "Yes," to the other two questions, "No," and as you continue to read the articles in ONE you will learn more than I have space here to tell you. Always re-
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