ponsibility, with lesbianism. Fortunately these are more often the attributes of the pseudo lesbian, that unhappy woman who for countless reasons, being in total rebellion, makes a public display of her relations with women as a last desperate slap at society There are unquestionably transvestite lesbians, messy lesbians, financially irresponsible and promiscuous lesbians-but, since these traits are shared with some of their heterosexual sisters, no one, particularly lesbians, should take these as identifying marks.

The lesbian has no identifying marks; therefore where a lesbian finds herself rebuffed by society let her ask herself what she is doing to bring about this reaction. If she has chosen to imitate and exaggerate the most objectionable mannerisms of the most socially unacceptable men, then she must not complain if she receives the same rebuff these men would, were they to move out of the narrow world where their behavior patterns are acceptable.

The lesbian who moves into quiet, a family, or a very conventional neighborhood and creates a disturbance is going to receive unfriendly treatment from most of her neigh-

bors. Frequent late, loud parties, where falling-down-drunk guests shout sexual suggestions and desires in four letter words will inevitably bring about chilly relations with everyone within earshot. The same thing would happen if a heterosexual couple did it. Loud television late a night, exaggerated dress, unconventional friends, a messy yard-these things are out of place in the conventional neighborhood. The lesbian whose life includes these things must be willing to make the same adjustment her heterosexual counterpart would have to make-namely, to live in a bohemian or declasse neighborhood, where it is to everyone's advantage to be tolerant of the shortcomings or excesses of others.

Just as much a fantasy as the idea that within heterosexual families there exists a warm, pink cloud of understanding, is the belief that "if only I were heterosexual I could do the most unsuitable things at the most unsuitable times and places, and everyone would still love me." This is not so. And it has nothing to do with lesbianism. It has to do with the facts of life as it is really lived. Jane Race

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