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ALBERT ELLIS VISITS BEVERLY HILLS

On Sept. 9th, in front of an 85% non-Jewish and 99% heterophile audience, Dr. Albert Vincent Freeman, West Coast Advisory Council member of The Institute for Rational Living, Inc. welcomed with "a happy Jewish New Year" the persons filling the auditorium of the Beverly Hills High School. Dr. Freeman was there to introduce Albert Ellis, Ph.D., founder of the Institute, and Freeman's humor was somewhat like that of one of those jolly men who play the good uncle in children's t.v. series. Not very amusing, however, was Dr. Freeman's estimation that Dr. Ellis' profound thinking and prolific contribution in the field of psychology would one day rank him along side Freud. True, some of Ellis opinions about sex pre-date Freud for their unscientific spirit. But it wasn't until the lecture was about over that we appreciated the full meaning of what Dr. Freeman meant when he said, "Dr. Ellis types almost as fast as he thinkswhich is incredible."

There are undeniably many admirable qualities in the outspoken and consciously "modern' "modern" and "tolerant" sex theories of Dr. Ellis. His views on sexual topics other than homosexuality generally make good sense. The straight men and women in the audience found him so "progressive." And the people came in streams to listen to Ellis at $2.00 per head in "his only

appearance" in Beverly Hills. And such a number of real ladies. [No drags admitted, apparently.] Women, of course, love to hear "a frank discussion" of "Sex, Psychotherapy & Sanity," and Dr. Ellis took delight in shocking many.

We had never heard Dr. Ellis speak before although we have read his many popular-style books and articles. He turned out to be one of the most insipid and colorless personalities that we have ever met.

Being a student of human behavior as Dr. Ellis is, imposes heavy responsibilities as regards objectivity. We hadn't expected any new and interesting developments in his thinking, but still we were disappointed when he got around, as he inevitably does, to his one peculiar bias-his strident thesis, which distorts all his writings that homosexual men and women are self-defeating, anti-social and, hence, neurotic and sick individuals who need to be, and can be cured.

We should have known better, but we just couldn't resist the temtation to go listen to his very unhealthy and over-dusty, "Bestfreshman's" graduation speech.

OF MANY THINGS, OF CABBAGES & QUEENS

Dr. Franklin Kameny, President of the Washington D.C. Mattachine Society, and participant in 1964 ECHO Conference on "Homosexual Rights," speaking of the yakking