}

READERS write

Letters from readers are solicited for publication in this regular monthly department. They should be short and all must be signed by the writer. Only initials of the writer and the state or country of residence will be published. Opinion expressed in pub. lished letters need not necessarily reflect that of the REVIEW or the Mattachine Society. No names of individuals will be exchanged for correspondence purposes.

REVIEW EDITOR: Following the list of several organizations in the field of sexual variance listed on page 35 of your June 1963 REVIEW, I called the George W. Henry Foundation here. The Dr. Gross who answered was irate that you should have listed their name, and said that he would have to have their lawyer look into it. He said that he understood that the Mattachine is inter ested in social acceptance of the váriant, whereas they were not.'

I hope no one in inner trouble has called this man, for I am sure that his tone and words would deepen that trouble immeasureably.-Mr. P.W., NY.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Gross must have bad a foggy morning. The Mattachine Society is interested in justice for the variant. "Acceptance" is something everyone must seek for himself.

REVIEW EDITOR: You are to be commended for printing in the June issue of Mattachine REVIEW the excellent interview with Dr. W.. A. Ketterer on "Venereal Disease and Homosexual Contacts." Certainly this sort of informa tion should help warn homosexuals re garding the need for periodic examinations and blood tests, what with the high incidence of VD among homosexuals and the frequent complete lack of warning symptoms with both syphilis and rectal gonorrhea.

...in the attached copy of the article by Dr. Tarr (see "Calling Shots") you will note that he gives figures regarding the high percentage of homosexuals among syphilis cases reported. He also mentions that homosexuals might well make more frequent use of the condom.

For a number of months now, based on the number of cases among my ho

mosexual friends as compared to my heterosexual friends, I have suspected that there may be a similar high incidence of infectious hepatitis among homosexuals. Since this disease may be acquired through fecal contamination of food and water, one's friends freely discuss their bout with hepatitis, which is certainly not the case when they get VD. Similarly, the probable higher incidence of infectious hepatitis among homosexuals is apparently unreported in the medical literature since there is no obvious tie-up with homosexual activity such as is the case when the doctor finds the chancre of primary syphilis in the rectum.

My suspicions are apparently confirmed by others when on a recent visit to San Francisco, I found that infectious hepatitis was refered to among homosexuals as the "Queens' Disease." Hence, it might be well to check with the Public Health Service authorities who should provide information on this serious disease and warn homosexuals regarding the ease with which it can be transmitted by linguo-rectal sexual contact.-Mr. D.O., N.Y.

REVIEW EDITOR: I thought I would give you a brief report on those people you have referred to me. Mr. W. has made a considerable improvement. He is quite involved in developing some insight and putting what he leams into action. Interestingly, he does not have a homophile problem. He heard a staff member talk at the Unitarian Church and inquired from you about treatment. Mr. X and Mr. Y have terminated at my suggestion because they are now doing so well! They have gone from near failure to the best adjustment they've made

mattachine REVIEW

to date. Mr. X is thankful for your org. anization's help. Mr. Z (whose wife, called you) has been seen several times. He is advancing slowly, but surely. It's really too early to predict progress. Thanks for referring them. They are all fine, sincere people.—Mr. P.M., M.S.W., i

Califomia.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Frequent referrals are made by Mattachine to many professional counselors, and the above brief report is typical of several received about the progress of those who do delve into therapy and analysis as a solution to their personal problems. The counselor in this case is with the San Francisco Counseling Center. It is one of many public agencies and organizations with which Mattachine works. More recently, Mattachine established working liaison with a suicide prevention group on the West Coast, and Mattachine has been listed in a directory of community welfare agencies published by the United Fund.

REVIEW EDITOR: Recent numbers of the REVIEW have constituted a severe trial of my patience. You have now prepared three issues in a row consisting substantially of excerpts from a booklet which in its entirety costs 50¢ (fifty cents) from the publisher. In other words, readers of the REVIEW Have been asked to waste $2.25 on this readily available material in reprint. Such foolishness is an insult to the intelligence of your readers. If you presume to serve up more · such cold leftovers, you may be quite certain that my subscription will be al lowed to lapse unlamented. To top it all, the June issue contains two totally blank pages, one of which was apparent ly to have contained material not previously published.

Are you sufficiently honest to print this letter unedited? Or to raise the REVIEW up from the deplorable level to which it has sunk in recent months? I don't intend to wait much longer. With utter sincerity,-J.S., Norway.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Quaker Report, to which the abové reader refers bas received precious little attention in this country and hardly any of the praise which it deserves. We believe it to be one of the significant documents of this

century, and for that reason have endeavored to give it all the publicity that our limited circulation can muster. Some day perhaps, the people in our country will be as enlightened in sexual matter's as the people in his country. But, if our magazine is so innocuous to him, we suggest that be read it, not with an eye for entertainment or enlightenment, but as a reflection of the social conditions prevalent on a continent ridden with by! pocrisy.

As to the two blank pages in bis copy, our tired old press sometimes skips a beat, so we are sending him another copy.

He writes well. We should like to bear from him more often. We would like to' know bow it feels to live in a country' where law enforcement agencies, we bear, are not preoccupied with "running down bomosexuals," as one Chicago policeman put it. Perhaps be would write us an article on the attitudes toward homosexuality in Scandinavia.

Various agencies of our government intercept much of the fiction and photography originating in bis part of the world, their representatives sometimes waiting for bours near the post office box of the would-be recipient, in order to inquire regarding the details of that part of bis life which, one would think, sbould remain private. Strictly improper, of course! But then, the inspectors have to get their kicks, too. The taxpayers | pick up the tab.

REVIEW EDITOR: I feel that your so ciety and publication are highly wath while and will some day be recognized for what they are wath. And I realize that you have a big financial problem. I can imagine some of the difficulties you have in getting correspondence answer ed, proofs read, etc. Do not think that I am unsympathetic in thus jumping on you for not answering my correspondence.-M. G.W.D., Ohio.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In order to keep the Society and the REVIEW going, we are obliged to handle a great deal of job printing, including newsletters of olber organizations. Consequently, our correspondence falls several months bebind.