The following article, reprinted from SEXOLOGY magazine with permission, originally appeared In that publication last October under the title, "NEW LIGHT ON HOMOSEXUALITY."

ENIGMA

under Scrutiny

BY THE RESEARCH STAFF OF SEXOLOGY

N the popular mind, the individual stamped with the label of homosexuality is considered. considered mentally ill or emotionally disturbed. Male homosexuals arc most often pictured as sissified, vicious or depraved.

Even among medical men and psychiatrists a great deal of debate has been generated over the question of whether homosexuality is an immature stage of development and a “disease," or rather a pattern of life that is a deviation from accepted social and sexual behavior.

The subject is difficult to study with any kind of scientific detach ment because of the many legal, emotional and ethical aspects that are involved. It is especially welcome therefore to discover that an objective study of homosexual bebavior has appeared recently in the authoritative British Medical Journal.

The study, an analysis of one hundred male cases of homosexuality which had initially been seen in private psychiatric practice, was reported by Desmond Curran, a

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Because of the legal, emo tional and ethical aspects involved in our attitudes toward homosexuality, Jew scientific studies of the subject have been made. A British survey of one hundred male homosexuals throws considerable new light on this highly controversial subject. If you share the popular notion that all homosexuals are “vicious,” “depraved,” “mentally ill” or “emotionally disturbed," this study will make you question your thinking

consultant psychiatrist, and Denis Parr, M.D., a research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry of St. George's Hospital, London.

The cases had been chosen for further study out of a series of 5000 psychiatric cases seen over a period of years by one of the authors involved.

The report warns, it should be noted, that all the cases had been initially seen by a single psychiatrist and that his original judgment might have been wrong.

Nevertheless, the results of this analysis, while obviously not conclusive, throw considerable light on many controversial issues connected with homosexuality,

The one hundred cases chosen for study were all persons who were consciously aware of their homosexual tendencies or had engaged in homosexual acts with others.

Thirty of them had been referred for psychiatric treatment as a result of criminal charges that had been leveled against them for homosexual acts.

mattachine REVIEW

HETEROSEXUAL-HOMOSEXUAL RATING SCALE

1 2 3 4 5 6

The reader should be aware that in England any act between males, whether public or private, is a criminal offense if it involves contact with or exposure of the private parts for sexual reasons. Homosexual behavior with a partner under sixteen years of age, is legally classed as "indecent assault" even if it consists only of gentle fondling.

Twenty-five of the persons had undergone treatment as a result of worries over their homosexuality. The remainder had been under treatment because of various psychiatric problems, pressure from friends or relatives, marital problems and similar reasons.

All but eleven of the cases admitted that they had indulged in one or more homosexual acts with others since adolescence.

In evaluating the survey, it should be taken into account that the group was not the average

The chart above has been adapted from the seven-polat scale developed by the late Dr. Kinsey and his associates as method of rating the degree of beteresexuality and bomosexuality found in ladi. viduals. As described in Sexual Behavior in the Human Male,' Individuals rate follows, based on both psychologic actions and overt ›xperience:

0. Exclusively heterosexual with no homosexual.

1. Predominantly heterosexual, only laci dentally homosexual.

2. Predominantly heterosexual, but more than Incidentally homosexual.

3. Equally heterosexual and homosexual. 4. Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual. 5. Predominantly homosexual, but incident. ally beterosexual.

6. Exclusively homosexual.

group found in society—the educational and occupational level was high. Forty-one of the hundred had been to universities. Only two were semi-skilled or unskilled laborers; the rest were professional, intermediate, skilled, or students.

Another factor is the probability that in any group of individuals referred to a psychiatrist there

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