Carthyism as applied to Communism. San Marino, Calif. Stanley M. ARNDT

Gilbert Cant's review of Dr. Edmund Bergler's Homosexuality Disease or Way of Life? in the January 7 issue of THE NEW LEADER bas been brought to the attention of several mem. bers of the Mattachine Society, and we feel that some of the points made there should be

discussed further.

To begin with, I object to his placing the word "male" in quotation marks when referring to homosexuals. Until a thorough acien. tific study is made, it would be best f perpetuate by implication what may very well be a myth: that homosexuale lack the attributes of virility. I personally have not been able to find any significant correlation, among my friends on both sides of the fence, be tween their sexual preferences and their other personality traits, such as aggressiveness. Of course, "maleness" might be defined exclu sively in terms of sexual preference, but this would lead to rather ludicrous conclusions in many, many instances-Chopin and Alexander the Great, to take just two obvious historical examples.

Far more important than the above is Cant's astonishing statement that "homosexuals are openly seeking to make converts to their ab. normal pattern of life." This is indeed news to all of us in the Mattachine Society, an or ganization that does its best to keep up with all matters pertaining to homosexuality and homosexuals, whether the Society approves of them or not. I myself-in my own dealings with several hundred homosexuals as well as with organizations like the Mattachine, One, the International Committee for Sexual Equality, Arcadic, etc.-have never seen an instance of proselytizing, or even heard of it. I will not deny that some crackpot homosexual might try such a ridiculous and obviously useless sort of thing, but I assume that Cant was not referring to crackpots. If he does know of such a case, we would appreciate hearing further details.

One who is not, and never was, engaged in winning converts for the "homosexual way of life," not even from among the "borderline"

cases, is my very good friend Donald Webster Cory. I do not know just what Cant means when he writes of Cory's hiding "behind his wife's skirts," unless it is just a gratuitous insult. Also, Cory is not "Madison Avenue," either geographically or as the term is cur rently used. Nor has he written "whole books" on the subject of homosexuality-only one, The Homosexual in America. This thoughtful, unsensational work has been given the highest praise by homo and heterosexuals alike, and remains the only book where one can learn precisely what it means to be homosexual. To speak of this as a "seductive" opus in an "obscene propaganda drive" is almost comical. The name Donald Webster Cory also appears on two other works: 21 Variations and Homo-

sexuality: A Cross-Cultural Approach. These, however, are anthologies of short stories and non-fiction articles, respectively, in which Mr. Cory's contribution was only editorial.

Some homosexuals-like some heterosexuals-

do believe that they are "the repository of most of the world's artistic talent," but this ridiculous and patently false idea is not shared by any reasonably well-educated, thinking homosexual I have ever known. Specifically, it is not held by Cory. Cant may have been misled because homosexuals often do speak of those who, from the days of ancient Greece to 1957, have contributed so much to our civilization, either to point out that homosexuality need not be a bar to achievement or just to show the influence of a person's sexuality upon his

work.

As far as the genesis of homosexuality is concerned, it is probably true that no one is born a homosexual. As a matter of fact, many psychologists are of the opinion that no one is born a heterosexual either, but that individuals are originally endowed only with what

mattachine REVIEW

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we might call "blind" sexuality and later ment to the society in which they live as events, which apparently take place largely members of a minority. Their reasonableness during very early childhood, determine the does not alter the fact that other, less reasonable eventual direction of the sexual impulse. Re. homosexuals are now embarked on a gardless of genesis, however, Cant was on paign to win approval and even special privilege shaky semantic ground when he referred to for their deviant cult. Nothing that the homosexuality as "not natural." This is a reasonable writers have said can alter my meaningless term, regardless of where it is opposition to the campaign of their less reason. applied: Anything that happens is natural, for able co-deviationista.

it is in the nature of things for it to happen. New York City NAME WITHHELd

Mr. Cant replies:

As for Stanley M. Arndt's defense of the Américan Legion, which also appeared in the January 28 issue, he takes me too literally. I am concerned not with a specific organization The letter from "A Friend" in the January but with an attitude of mind. All too often the 28 issue and the above letter from the Matleadership of the legion and of its individual tachine Society merely show that there are posts has gone on record in opposition to the homosexuals and homosexuals-which nobody rights of unpopular minorities. Any organiza. in his right mind had ever doubted. The tion must accept the consequences of its acts, writers of these letters are reasonable men and suffer (or enjoy) the reputation that it who have made a satisfactory working adjust gets as a result of them.

THE OMITTED FINAL PARAGRAPH

THE NEW LEADER, however, omitted the final paragraph of the letter above. Here it is:

"Although he does not state it in so many words, it appears that Mr. Cant agrees with Bergler's dictum that there are no healthy homosexuals. Of course, if one defines homosexuality as a disease, then the statement TolTows logically. However, this is hardly the sort of approach we have come to expect from those who claim to be in the service of science. Perhaps Bergler does not know it, but there are countless homosexuals who DO lead lives that are happy, stable, productive, rich in achievement, devoid of obsessive and paralyzing conflicts. Should he, or any other worker be interested in conducting a serious scientific study, the Mattachine Society will be happy to cooperate as it has done in the past, and supply subjects more characteristic of the average homosexual than the tiny minority of grossly maladjusted and seriously disturbed individuals psychiatrists know..."