ed by a majority (63%) of the subjects.
More interesting is the fact that of the se, 55 out of 99 preferred the mother, only 36 proferred the father; and the rest had changing preferences. One factor in this preference (though certainly not the only one) might be alcoholism in the father: substantial number of the "favorite mothers" (21) lived with alcoholic fathers.
A
It is also of interest that 38% of respondents counted their adolescence as "average" in happiness about the same pro-
-
portion as that which counted theirs "unhappy". Only about a quarter of the group considored theirs as "happy". There can only be speculation on the meaning of the se percentages, in the absence of any control group. One would expect, though, that adolescence for a largely deviant group such as this might be less happy than the average; and one is struck rather by the considerable number who did not reply "unhappy".
To the question as to family knowledge of subject's homosexuality, as many as 40% replied their families did know. (Another 10% were in doubt.) Of those whose families knew, well over half were told by the subject; a still greater proportion of such families as knew (about 3/4) "accepted" the fact. A few rather illuminating comments were volunteered on this subject by some respondents:
"I am quite oertain they know of my homosexuality, but it is never discussed, for they understand nothing but normality.
at all."
Another subject says:
They refuse to think of it
"...both (referring to two members of the family) have permitted themselves through the years...to believe what they want to believe, not to seo what they don't want to seo...."
Other homosexuals in the family were reported by a rather small proportion of the group (14%). Of the 35 relatives mentioned, nine were cousins, six sisters, five brothers, five aunts. In some cases subjects volunteered the information that there was no "learning" of homosexual practices
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