READERS RESPOND

"NOT TO START ANOTHER CONTROVERSY GOING, BUT ... THERE WERE SOME BLATANT INACCURACIES IN THE LESBIANA COLUMN OF THE OCTOBER |S= SUE. CORRECTIONS, PLEASE! THE YOUNG AND INNOCENT DOES NOT DEPICT 'A SUCCESSFUL LESBIAN MARRIAGE'. LAVINIA CARTWRIGHT AND SANDRA KEEL ARE NOT 'FULLY ADULT AND INTELLIGENT WOMEN'. THERE IS NO 'UNUSUAL ASPECT OF THE LESBIAN RELATIONSHIP' IN THIS BOOK. AND FURTHER ONE DOES NOT HOPE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR' (BE IT MAN OR WOMAN)!

"WHAT HAPPENED TO GENE DAMON? TRYING TO SELL FOR THE DOB BOOK SERVICE?"

L. P., CALIFORNIA

"EVERY COVER-TO-COVER READING OF THE LADDER LEAVES ME WITH A NAGGING IN MY BRAIN THAT ALL IS NOT RIGHT WITH THE ENDEAVORS OF THE DOB. NOW, TO MY SATISFACTION, I HAVE PUT THE FINGER ON THE CAUSE OF MY DISQUIET. | OBJECT TO THE MERELY LESBIAN APPROACH. | PREFER TO SEE THE PROBLEM OF THE LESBIAN AS AN ASPECT OF THE LARGER PROBLEM OF SOCIETY TODAY: CONFORMITY THE NEGLECT OF THE INDIVIDUALISTIC IMPULSE THAT ALONE LEADS TO CREATIVITY AND THE ULTIMATE ENRICHMENT OF CULTURE.

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"HOW MANY OF US LESBIANS WOULD NOW BE BURIED IN DESPAIRING CONFORMITY, KNOWING NOT WHENCE OUR DESPAIR, IF WE HAD BEEN BORN HETEROSEXUAL? AS IT IS, OUR CONFORMITY IS HIGHLY CONSCIOUS, ARTIFICIAL, AND DECIDEDLY DISTASTEFUL. WERE WE NOT HOMOSEXUAL, MANY OF US WOULD HAVE NEITHER THE INTELLIGENCE NOR THE SENSITIVITY TO SEE DEEPLY THE PLIGHT OF MODERN MASS MAN.

"THE LADDER MAKES MUCH OF THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING LESBIANS INTO SOCIETY AT THE SAME TIME THAT PROBING MINDS IN THE HETEROSEXUAL WORLD DECRY THE PRESENT TREND TOWARD DEHUMANIZATION

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