of the importance to discard the mask is a triumph in itself. It is something to live with for awhile and build up to; in other words we must recondition our minds along new channels of behavior. At first this effort will be purely intellectual and all emotional instinct will violently rebel against exposure but in time this difficulty will melt away with continuous and increased thought along these lines.

It may come as a surprise to many to learn that exposure can often strengthen relationships. Recently I decided to reveal myself to a married heterosexual friend, for whom I had the greatest respect. We had known each other for nine years and I was filled with apprehension but when I told him he merely smiled and said he had guessed as much nine years ago when we first met! We are the greatest of friends and it is a rather wonderful feeling to be liked and accep ted by a heterosexual who knows and understands. There are many more like my friend.

Actually, there are few homosexuals who can pass undetected before the eyes of a person with average intelligence for very long. Although an individual may have a straight physiognomy, the expressive play of facial muscles when laughing or speaking is most revealing, not to speak of voice timbre and intonation. These things most of us are aware of usually, for we wear dead-pan expressions when looking into a mirror and we have no way of evaluating the quality of a voice that has been a part of us since early childhood.

Those of the heterosexual world who like you now, that is, if the bond of friendship is sincere, will continue to accept you after you have declared your self and the friendship will be stronger than ever before. I know. It will be stronger because there will be no longer a necessity for hypocrisy. It will be more enduring because you will have shown your friend that you trust and respect him enough to tell him the truth. As for those who would discard you, is it not far bet ter to terminate a friendship based on a lie?

Think what this can mean – if every homosexual reveals himself to at least one trusted heterosexual friend; the friend will become a counter-action to any uninformed conversation against homosexuality for the rest of his life, perhaps, simply for having known a homosexual for whom he had respect. This is one small way in which the barriers can gradually be corroded one does not have to be blatantly militant.

Since the dawn of urbanization, homosexuals have been running and hiding in most Western cultures. They have been divested of all dignity and relegated to one place the garbage dump, so to speak. Nevertheless the imprint of their cultural contributions, far out of mattachine REVIEW

proportion to their actual numbers, has benefited and enriched mankind immeasurably. This they accomplished without a unified cultural heritage, without any group identification. They were swallowed by the dominant group, but never assimilated. Now, at last, in the belated awakening, the seeds of a group culture are being planted tender, vulnerable seeds which must be carefully nurtured and guarded so that they will burgeon like the mighty oak and pine. We are building a heritage by keeping our activities alive, by providing IDENTIFICATION and most of all by the printed word. Every book, every article written and disseminated on the theme is another stepping stone in the effacement of bigotry and intolerance. Every function, kept alive with good attendance and enthusiastic support in organizations such as the Mattachine Society, is a degree closer to the objective. Every person won over is a bit nearer to the ultimate goal.

The running and concealment must come to an end, for this is only prolonging and putting off the inevitable. We must not allow hostile attitudes to send us scampering under cover for this will delay the unavoidable for another day. We have freedom of press and speech – these we must fully exploit. Freedom of assembly is an unquestioned right from whom shall we run? If we are met with hostility it is our golden opportunity to display a Christ-like tolerance and patience until we have broken down unfounded aversion and hatred. We can do this or we can retreat at the first frown and retire into seclusion, where we can pat each other on the backs and tell ourselves that we are fine people this will get us nowhere.

Lincoln was once criticized by an individual, "Why are you so friendly to your enemies? You should destroy them." His classic reply was, ''But am I not destroying them when I turn them into friends?" This noble answer epitomizes all that we are striving for to win over favorable public opinion through dignified contact and education. Are we to proceed only where we KNOW we will be well received? Such action, of course, would be most comfortable and pleasant, but Mattachine is much more than a polite social organization. It has been established to create improved relationship between homosexuals and the general public. To flee from any indication of unpleasantness or any situation which threatens to become embarrass ing is contrary to logic. Obviously we would be wasting our efforts to disseminate favorable information in areas which are already enlightened. We must face prejudice and ignorance squarely with pat ience and knowledge, along with responsible behavior.

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We must continue to avail ourselves of the hard-won freedoms in order to fulfill our aspirations. We must begin to think of tearing away