«
•
professions; by advocating a mode of behavior and dress acceptable to society.
2. Education of the public at large through acceptance first of the individual, leading to an eventual breakdown of erroneous taboos and prejudices; through public discussion meetings aforementioned; through dissemination of educational literature on the homosexual theme.
3. Participation in research projects by duly authorized and responsible psychologists, sociologists and other such experts directed towards further knowledge of the homosexual.
4. Investigation of the penal code as it pertains to the homosexual, proposal of changes to provide an equitable handling of cases involving this minority group, and promotion of these changes through due process of law in the state legislatures."
Upon future study, it would be relevant to make detailed analyses of these and other such organizations, and to observe their relative merits and methods. However, since the Mattachine Society appears to be fairly representative of these organizations (and possibly the more articulate), and further, since the author was given the opportunity to observe and to make a brief study of this organization, it will be discussed briefly below.
As was mentioned above, the primary emphasis of the efforts seems to be directed toward the larger society. That the individual homosexual benefits in a correlative, and also in a more direct, manner will be implicit.
It may be significant that these three organizations were all founded within the last decade (Daughters of Bilitis, 1955; Mattachine Society, 1953 (a continuation of Mattachine Foundation dating from 1950); One, Incorporated, 1952). One might observe, then, that the "social climate" seems to be right. There now seems to be a great deal of national "soul-searching" going on; the public at large has increasingly tolerated, yea, even listened to more diverse and unorthodox viewpoints; controversy on a grand scale is widespread; and science and the academic world is gaining in popular prestige. It is possible, however, to counter with the assertion that through the great proliferation of mass media the public has simply become saturated with every viewpoint imaginable, and thus has become immune; to the point of "tolerating" virtually anything. There is no doubt validity in both positions.
It is also germane to note at this point the increasing tendency by many groups to fight official and semi-official censorship. This, of course, makes the homosexual leaders' job of disseminating information more feasable. The case of Grove Press, Inc. and Readers' Subscription, Inc. vs. Robert K. Christenberry, Postmaster of the City of New York-the famous Lady Chatterley's Lover case in 1959-is a case in point.
The homosexual organizations themselves have joined this fight against Matt~chine ►view for ovamo1censorship
the T 105 ·
1110
•
pears an article by one John Logan entitled "Higher Postal Rates-to Pay for Censorship?” which is a frontal attack on post office censorship policies. Again, in an advertisement for the Dorian Book Quarterly, 26 the fourth point reads: "To promote a freedom to read movement and combat attempts at censorship. Here the editors will cooperate with organized community groups everywhere that are active in anti-censorship work..........”
Partly as a consequence of this growing controversy and partly as a carryover from traditional codes, many book publishers will not touch homosexual literature. One result of this has been a rather sharp and recent rise in the "homosexual press. 27 Members of the Mattachine Society, for example, operate the Pan-Graphic Press which-on a small scale-publishes numerous books, booklets and pamphlets on many levels and phases of the subject. In addition, as it has been indicated earlier, they publish their monthly Mattachine Review which includes fiction, poetry, accounts of individual cases, scientific articles (often reprinted from professional journals), semiscientific dissertations, editorials, information about meetings and conferences, book reviews and some correspondence to the editors. Interestingly, advertisements are solicited from "...publishers and/or authors of books; magazines; periodicals and booksellers (sic) concerned with homosexuality and sexological subjects."
Throughout the author's research on this organization he was impressed by the degree to which the leaders were conscious of their "image." The entire operation seemed extremely businesslike, efficient and above-board. True, there is some bitterness apparent and they are employing counterpropaganda to the hilt. There was even some inter-organizational conflict which seemed to be traceable to a concern for social condonance. The remark that, "One (Inc.) is too militant," was heard and also seen in print. There also appeared to be a small degree of antipathy toward the Lesbian organizations to the effect that they did not have to face as many problems and thus were too conservative. On the whole, however, these groups appear to operate in unison for their common cause.
A paragraph from a "propaganda leaflet" entitled What Does Mattachine Do? clearly demonstrates this concern:
"Limitations: certain things are not done and cannot be done by Mattachine or its members. We condone no illegal activity in the organization, no corruption of minors and no exchange of names for personal correspondence. The organization stands for highest standards of group and public behavior
26. The Dorian Book Service is affiliated with the Mattachine Society, and specializes in homosexual literature: book reviews, studies in the field, problems of censorship, aids authors to print, etc.
27. See Marvin Cutler, Homosexuals Today; Chap. I is devoted exclusively to this "homosexual press."
:
¡
23