READERS RESPOND

"I HAVE BEEN A READER OF THE LADDER FOR OVER A YEAR, AND ON NUMER» OUS OCCASIONS I HAVE BEEN DISMAYED BY THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH HOMOSEXUALITY AND BISEXUALITY ARE REFERRED TO AS ABNORMAL, OR AS A QUIRK, OR AS A DEVIATION, I FEEL STRONGLY THAT THESE CONCEPTS ARE INACCURATE AND HARMFUL AND SHOULD HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR SOCIETY.

"IT IS TRUE THAT THE VAST UNINFORMED MAJORITY OF OUR CULTURE THINKS OF THE HOMOPHILE AS BEING 'QUEER' AND DEVIANT AND ABNORMAL. (THESE SAME FUZZY THINKERS BELIEVE THAT THE NEGRO IS 'BLACK' A CONCEPT EASILY DISPROVEN BY COMPARING ANY NEGRO SKIN TO A PIECE OF BLACK PAPER.) ACTUALLY, THE PREVALENT CONCEPT OF 'NORMAL' IS FAULTY AND

IS OFTEN USED AS A TOOL TO STRENGTHEN ALREADY EXAGGERATED DRIVES TOWARD CONFORMITY AND IN-GROUPNESS WITH THE MAJORITY. HOMOPHILES ARE AS 'NORMAL' AND AS MUCH A PART OF THE NATURAL PATTERN AS ARE HETEROSEXUALS OR BISEXUALS OR ANY-OTHER-KIND-OF-SEXUALS. RED HAIR WAS, IN TIMES LONG GONE BY, VIEWED WITH SUSPICION OR JEERED AT BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFERENT. LEFT-HANDEDNESS WAS SOMETHING TO BE TRAINED OUT OF A PERSON AT ANY COST. NOW IT SEEMS SILLY TO EVALUATE A PERSON IN TERMS OF HAIR COLOR OR HANDEDNESS. SIMILARLY, OUR SOCIETY MUST LEARN THAT IT IS IRRELEVANT TO EVALUATE IN TERMS OF SEXUALITY.

"IF YOU ARE CONGENITALLY A HOMOPHILE, ALL THE GUILT-FEELINGS AND ALL THE PSYCHIATRISTS IN THE WORLD ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE YOUR NEEDS, ANY MORE THAN THEY CAN CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES. You HAVE AN EXTRA BURDEN TO BEAR AS YOU GO THROUGH LIFE IN AN UNINFORMED SOCIETY, BUT SO – IN THEIR OWN SPECIAL WAYS HAVE ARTISTS, POETS, OR ORIGINAL THINKERS OF ANY KIND. YOUR PROBLEM IS SUCH ONLY BECAUSE SOCIETY OF WHICH YOU ARE A PART, AND ALSO OFTEN UNINFORMED, ALAS IS STILL UNENLIGHTENED AND UNABLE TO RELINQUISH EASILY ANY OF ITS EXISTING SCAPEGOAT GROUPS.

"IF YOUR HOMOSEXUALITY IS PRIMARILY ENVIRONMENTAL (AND I AM OF THE FIRM BELIEF THAT IT IS MUCH LESS FREQUENT THAN SOME WELL-MEANING BUT BLUNDERING AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE), AND IF IT BRINGS YOU MORE GRIEF THAN SATISFACTIONS, YOU MAY WANT TO WORK AT CHANGING THIS IN YOURSELF. OR YOU MAY DECIDE THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE