pressure against the full distribution of reading matter, you can write letters disapproving of such boards to the editor of your local newspaper. Fortunately, newspapers editors have been some of our best supporters for freedom of the press, and they are always glad to know that there are a few clear-thinking individuals in their community.

Where you learn of book dealers or other shopkeepers bowing to the pressure of censoring groups, you should indicate your disapproval and inform the store owner that you hope he will not give in to such pressure. For those of you who would like to keep abreast of various efforts at censorship being made, I would suggest that you have your name put on the mailing list for The Censorship Bulletin, published by the American Book Publishers' Council, Inc. (American Book Publishers' Council, Inc., 24 West 40th Street, New York 18, N.Y.

Last, but not least, I would urge you to give more support to the: Mattachine Society. For as people's fear and ignorance about homosexuality disappear, they will be less eager to prevent discussion about it. As they come to know more about homosexuality through the educational program of the Mattachine Society, they will come to realize that homosexuality is not some rare condition or willful sinfulness brought about by reading books and magazines which are considered obscene. Thus by helping the Mattachine Society to combat ignorance, you are thereby combatting censorship.

In the Open

ROGER GELLERT'S Quaint

Honour (Arts) is the most honest and informative play about homosexuality that has yet been performed in England; or, I should guess, anywhere else. Without the immunity of a club theatre. I doub' whether more than ten lines of it would have passed the Earl of Scarbrough whose "sound conscience," according to his family motto, is "a wall of brass."

Two fifteen-year-old schoolboys are listening to the housemaster's annual lecture on sex and the perils of dormitory embraces. One of them is innocent and bookish; the other is a House Tart of the kind described in C. S. Lewis's autobiography: They were not like slaves. for their favours were (nearly always) solicited, not compelled. Nor were they exactly like prostitutes. for the liaison often

(Review of a play from The London Observer)

had some permanence and. far from being merely sensual. was highly sentimentalised." Turner the Tart is catamite to Tully. the flamboyant house prefect, whom he mischievously incites to seduce the innocent swol

THE process of seduction is de-

lineated with staggering frankness: the affair is inevitably discovered. and Tully expelled, but not before an amazing scene in which he declares to the house. master that he sees nothing wrong in what he has done, arguing that by introducing a repressed boy to sex he has awakened but not necessarily perverted him. Never, to my knowledge. has the drama come closer to asking the crucial question: why should we think it disgusting to be homosexual?

Roderick McLaren (the Tart) and Michael Caridia (his successor) are

mattachine REVIEW

hoth quite shakingly good, and John Charlesworth plays the seducer with easeful guile It was perhaps a mistake, in an obviously propagandist work. to put into his mouth so many speeches extolling

violence and war but I hope this caveat will not dissuade you from seeing a play which savs more about the simple. non-tragic aspects of queerness than anvthing our theatre has so far permitted.

Study Homosexual Pattern

(From SCIENCE NEWSLETTER)

THE HOMOSEXUAL 15 the victim of his own emotional problems and environ. mental factors, not a victim of hormonal im balance, alcoholism or genius.

Many of the beliefs about homosexuals, such as their marked tendency toward effeminacy or their intellectual superiority, were not supported by a recent study among 64 known male homosexuals imprisoned for illegal homosexual activities. The study revealed, however, that a history of neurotic behavior and psychiatric illness was fre quently found among the homosexuals.

In addition, a background of alcoholic parents and broken homes seemed to be important, three doctors report in the British Medical Journal (June 7).

The homosexual prisoners were not more intelligent than average, but 55°% of them were interested in art and culture. This is a higher percentage than would be expected from the normal population, the investiga-

tors say.

Touching on the development of homosexuality in individual cases, the doctors said that these factors were revealed·

The most common forms of homosexuality practiced by these men were sodomy and mutual masturbation. Furthermore, of 60 cases with valid data, 83° were promiscu ous. The remaining 17° had selected part. ners. Several of those who were promiscu ous said they would have preferred a stable

association.

The reasons given for desiring a single partner were affection and greater safety from the police and venereal disease.

Apart from those who were seduced at Twenty four of the prisoners were married an early age, in about 40%, the sex drive and had produced 43 children, L.. R. E. was homosexual from the beginning. Al. Hemphill and A. Leitch of Bristol Mental though this does not rule out the possibility Hospitals, Bristol, England, and Dr. J. R. that homosexuality originates in the mind, Stuart, Garlands Hospital, Carlisle, England, it does demonstrate that it is not neces. report.

sarily a manifestation of vice. Perhaps it They stress that the continuous conflict has some of the characteristics of instinctive between the masculine role demanded by behavior with which the individual has to our society and feminine urges appears as contend or accept, whether he approves the reason for the effeminate manner found of it or not, the authors suggest. in a small proportion of homosexuals.

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