Homosexuals
Sir: It may well be that others not less kind-hearted and tolerant than Mr D. Watkins, even if less convinced of their possession of these admirable qualities, are also tired of " hearing of the hard lot of homosexuals." It is, however, to be hoped they will not write denunciatory letters on.the-subject unless they can ascribe their fatigue to rather more valid reasons than Mr Watkin's appear to me to be.
His statement that it is only fair that most of the good jobs should go to "people with families to support" rather than to "those whose ambition is purely selfish" is both unfair and incorrect. Most parents, whether they admit it or not, get a great deal of happiness and satisfaction from their parental activities, quite apart from the social kudos that being a parent still gives them in spite of the chronic overpopulation of the world in general and Britain in particular. Of course, if they love and care for their children properly, they must therefore forego or curtail their enjoyment of some other things but they are certainly not thereby being any more unselfish than the average homosexual or, for that matter, than the many heterosexual men and women who are unable or unwilling to breed. As for supporting families, well, children usually make their parents' old age considerably less unpleasant than that of most single people, and the latter are very often involved in supporting older relatives and friends from whom they can expect no "quid pro quo" at some future date.
As for the troubles of heterosexuals. Has anyone ever denied them? As they can freely voice them without any fear of legal action or repression, their homosexual friends, among others, are usually fully aware of them. , Unlike homosexuals they can, however, seek legal and professional advice and, which ought to help to avert the unhappy marriages to which Mr Watkins
obliquely refers, they can advertise in the attempt to find compatible partners, sexual or otherwise. Whether one is heterosexual, homosexual, black, white, brown or piebald, it is obvious that one's joys and sorrows will be partly determined by one's own personality and those of the people that fate brings one into contact with but this is irrelevant to any discussion of the justice, morality or effects of legal persecution of or discrimination against-homosexuals or any other class of persons. Ian Richards
40 Frankfurt Road, London SE24.
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