decided that these magazines (MANual, Trim, and Grecian Guild Pictorial), although probably designed to appeal to homosexuals, were not obscene; further, stipulations were made in that decision that an administrative branch of the government, under executive influence, had no authority to censor, and still further that Congress had not the power to grant such authority because the whole function was really vested only in the judiciary.

However, news and policy get around slowly in a Federal bureaucracy. As late as August 27th, the Collector of Customs at San Francisco wrote Dorian: "Since these books are considered to be obscene within the meaning of section 305 of the Tariff Act, the case is turned over to the United States Attorney for institution of forfeiture proceedings."

This bad news was offset 3 days later when under date of August 30th came another letter: "We asked the Commissioner of Customs for a re-examination of these books. He now advises that the Bureau of Customs has reversed its judgment about their obscenity, based on a recent decision of the Supreme Court... and now considers these books as admissable importations. We are, therefore, processing these books for collection of duty and they will be delivered to you by postal carrier."

Dorian has since reported to us that now the books have been declared legal, the publisher has announced they are nearly out of print. Readers who want a copy should get their orders in right away.

OLD HAT MAKES NEWS

What on the West Coast would receive only passing notice due to its familiarity hereabouts has in N.Y.C. caused quite a stir and ex-

one

tensive consideration because as The New York Times put it, finally for the New Yorker a "Taboo Is Broken." The occasion was a discus-. sion by 8 male homosexuals who spoke over the radio about their attitudes and problems.

The broadcast appropriately called "Live and Let Live" took place Sunday night July 15th over radio station WBAI-FM, sister station to long-established KPFA-FM in Berkeley and KPFK-FM in Los Angeles. WBAI-FM and the 8 homosexuals are to be congratulated for bringing the subject to New York's airways. One wonders why it took New York so long to break the "radio taboo," as they call it. As Don Slater, ed. ONE, wrote in a letter to Newsweek, July 30 which had given "Live and Let Live" a full page coverage, "The eight 'acknowledged homosexuals' who talked over WBAI . . . could well salute Curtis White, of Los Angeles, whose precedent-shattering KTTV television appearance in the spring of 1954 . as an acknowledged homosexual' was viewed by an audience of many thousands . . . " It is true that since that early date many homosexuals-both men and women-have appeared on radio and television in San Francisco and Los Angeles, one of the latest being only a few months back when Hal Call and Jaye Bell of the Mattachine Society and D.O.B. respectively sat facing the television audience right here in Los Angeles over a major TV station.

Listening to the rebroadcast of "Live and Let Live" over KPFK the other evening, this reporter was more than ever convinced that no homosexual, no matter how well trained, should ever allow himself to speak extemporaneously upon the subject. Freshness and candor result, of course, but the program