It was, to be sure, a coincidence. but in the July issue of ONE, Miss Ann Bannon, in her article on the gay novel made several references to the stereotyped homosexual as he is apt to appear in fiction, and in this same issue Edouard Marques, in his review of the book, The Sixth Man, while he did not use the word "stereotype", tellingly demonstrated how stereotypes" are created and pointed out Mr. Stearns' own contribution to that of the homosexual.

These two articles set me to wondering about the mental picture which the ordinary heterosexual man must have of his gay brother and to thinking about the genesis of stereotypes.

The stereotype is a psychological weapon of the majority against any minority it dislikes or fears. In this respect the homosexual certainly is not alone. In any community in which there is any minority group there is apt to be a stereotyped concept of that minority which is bandied about, serving both as an excuse for loose thinking and encouragement for still greater prejudices. The minority group may be racial, social or economic. Man fears what he does not know or understand but tries to reassure himself by creating tags and labels and names which he hopes will hide the fact that he does not understand and which, if they are sufficiently derogatory, which is usually the case, will excuse him from making any effort to understand and which will help to reassure him that he is eminently superior to the individual or group he belittles. Individuals cease to matter; the stereotype becomes the enemy and can be hated and persecuted with impunity and without incurring any sense of guilt. This does not mean that individuals do not then suffer, for of course they do, but the individual, regardless of his personal virtues is persecuted for the composite sins of his kind. No figure in world history demonstrates

the truth of this statement more clearly than does the Jew.

We are all familiar with the homosexual stereotype. He is a rather grotesque figure, a caricature of woman at her best and man at his worst. Physically he is, first of all, effeminate, tall, willowy; his hair is blonde and wavy, more than likely marcelled; his eyelashes are long and his eyebrows either plucked or accentuated with make-up; he has a soft pinkish complexion. One hand is always on a hip, the other dangles loosely from the wrist of an upheld arm. He walks with short mincing steps; he talks with a reedish voice in high pitched tones and, usually, with something resembling a lisp. His clothes are stylish, though gaudy (he has a passion for pink shirts, red ties and mauve undershorts), and much too tight. He sells ribbons in department stores, but may rise to heights of an assistant floor walker: he also waves women's hair and decorates other people's houses. In character, he is mean, cruel, vicious, given to petty jealousies and has a passion for intrigue; he is a gossip and untruthful; if he is not basically dishonest he is, at least, untrustworthy, undependable and unreliable. He is emotionally unstable, incapable of deep or lasting relationships, and has both deep seated guilt and persecution complexes. He is basically without character, unable to withstand any kind of pressure and consequently easy prey for blackmailers. He is unhappy. He is a security risk. When it comes to sex he is, ipso facto, depraved, promiscuous, lecherous, insatiable, and the sworn seducer of all normal men and little boys. Unlike the normal hetersexual male who meets, works, and plays with scores of women or girls every day without being a threat to their sexual integrity, the homosexual cannot have any contact with other males without being irresistibly impelled to seduce

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