READERS on Writers

Reader Craig Lee of New York City comments on stories and articles (Magazine, November & December, 1965) with verve, and a touch of youthful overstatement. It took fully a century for the United States (not to mention Massachusetts) to find out that Boston wasn't actually "the hub of the universe," but merely one out of many important and interesting American cities. We have no doubt that Craig Lee, and his sympathizers, will spot the signs of today's times more promptly and move ahead with them.

Please express my great appreciation to Mr. Conger and Mr. Roger Summers for the truly beautiful story "Along the Way"; but could it be too much to ask for a happy ending once in a while? One more thing: why do you discriminate against homosexuals under twenty-one? Until very recently I was one of those whom the homosexual organizations don't recognize as existing and I feel that equal rights must be won for all mutually consenting persons, not just "adults."

I have learned, to my great surprise, that the constrained liberalism of homosexuals in sexual matters does not always extend to political matters. I repeat my distaste and contempt for Mr. Menken's view; "validity" is an utterly irrelevant concept in this clash of attitudes; Mr. Menken's article is "representative," not "valid." His numerous derogatory and ignorant references to homosexuals fully justify my terming his article intolerant.

Assurances about leadership have a very hollow sound. It is because there are repressive pressures and because these pressures do affect and distort the lives of homosexuals that there is a homosexual movement in the first place. If potential leaders are not dis-

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suaded from participation we must assume either that they have no knowledge or interest in such activities or that all such persons are already actively participating. I hope you will concede that that is patently absurd. As for the assertion that "After all, leadership HAS existed. . . for nearly 40 years," while I hesitate to sound bitter, I must say that that leadership has been remarkably ineffectual. By almost any standard, the homosexual movement to date must be judged a failure. There are millions of homosexuals in the United States and "the provinces" (Canada, my dear man, Canada); how many are members of the homosexual (no fair abbreviating) movement? It's been estimated that in New York City alone there are some 500,000 homosexuals; yet the membership of New York Mattachine numbers in the low hundreds. Of the fifty states and ten provinces how many have just laws regarding homosexuals? Damned few, baby. Yet there are millions of homosexuals in the two countries, many among the most intelligent, talented, and well-known people of their nation or region. If success is the ultimate criterion, the homosexual movement and therefore its leadership must