Transvestia

with an awareness that there were a lot of social problems that they had not faced up to. One of these was homosexuality again. So that today in a number of different cities and religious groups there is an act- ive cooperation between church leaders and Homophile organizations. They have sponsored dances, discussion groups, lectures, public meetings, etc. The opening up of the long closed minds and ideas of the church leaders will have a beneficial effect on the minds and ideas of their followers, so I'm sure we can look for a slow but steady increase in tolerance and under- standing of us along with other types.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, oops, I mean criminal courts, the tendency has been to gradually loosen up on the idea of what is obscene and pornographic. In court decisions, starting with the Supreme Court's dep- endence on "contemporary community standards" and in many other decisions since, the heat is cooling off. Oh there are still convictions and I suppose there should be of the lunatic fringe, but in general an era of permissiveness is opening. It is almost impossible to see this from within a particular year but by look- ing back to see where we were, it is easier to say where we are. Now that the TROPICS books, FANNY HILL, LOLITA, LAST EXIT, SANDWICH, and others I can't remem- ber, are free to appear, you can look for more to do so regardless of all the little old ladies from Pasa- dena and their blue nosed, elderly, gentlemen friends may try to do about it. Time runs against them and so does the current social trend to non-conformity and disagreement with accepted, conservative social norms. I can't say I go for the Teen ager's attitudes (I have one and I can't figure him anymore than any other parent) but I will say that their rebellion at their level has sparked rebellion at many another level as well.

So where does this somewhat overlong dissertation leave us? I have taken this amount of space to summar- ize some of the forces at work in contemporary society because I hope it will help to put our own special interests in a proper perspective.