SIR,—I agree very much with Dr. Reid's letter, and would
gladly belong to any society which existed to help the victims and their families of our homo- sexuality laws. But even more to the point would be the formation of a society concerned to work for a change in the laws themselves.
The present situation seems to be this. The fact that some people are homosexual is not in dispute, and it is generally recognised that if left to solve their moral problems in private they would stand as much chance as anyone else of being decent and useful members of the community. The Wolfenden Com- mittee has recommended a change in the law by the decisive majority of twelve to one, and the responsible press has generally supported this recommendation, often in very strong terms. The conscience of the community as a whole is against the persecution of individuals simply because, through no fault of their own, they belong to a minority, and the Wolfenden Committee undoubtedly represents the good sense and humanity of most normal people when it urges that homosexuals should no longer be treated as outlaws, and that their friends and families should not be made to suffer so much unnecessary misery.
All of this notwithstanding, the police round-ups continue, the advocates of the present law continue to regard themselves as instruments ofmoral justice, and the Government shows every sign of ignoring the findings of the Committee which strong public feeling forced it to set up in the first place. Is it not time, therefore, that those who feel strongly on this issue should work together and attempt to make more widely known the compulsive moral and rational reasons in favour of a change of law?—Yours faith- fully,
Previous page
