Pattullo Letter 'Dangerous"

Since the controversy as a result of Mr. E.L. Pattullo's letter to the Harvard independent has been discussed in the Crimson the independent has ceased regular publication for this year, and Mr. Pattullo' has, as reported in the Crimson, apologized While repeating his stand against homosexuality. I think it is appropriate to send this letter to the Crimson while we are often accused of having a "bunker" or paranoid mentality, the danger reflected in Mr. Pattullo's attitudes, and the refusal of Harvard University to dissociate it self from discrimination is very real.

First of all, if Mr. Pattullo is writing as a layman, why does he find it necessary or even appropriate to list his title? If it is because he sees the Independent as a student newspaper he could simply put "employee" alter his name. It seems to me that, despite his disclaimer, this implies a connection to his position, one which is unfortunately emphasized by the fact it is in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology in general had done so much damage to gays and lesbians, reinforcing the myths that homosexuals are abnormal, sick, dangerous and deserving of second-class treatment. For example, the Immigration and Naturalization Service routinely refused admission to this country to homosexuals on the grounds of "psychopathic personality" and only recently--possibly temporarily--changed their policy. Gay and lesbian parents are routinely refused custody of their children on the grounds of "perversion" Unfortunately, most homosexuals do not as Mr. Pattullo suggests, support basic rights bring up the issue of gay parents sometime, and watch what happen') in the crunch, they come up with spurious reasons for not permitting homosexuals simple human rights and dignity. Mr. Pattullo's statement that homosexually lacks heterosexual values (i.e. the "right" ones) is one such excuse, consisting as it does of misinformation and stereotyping.

In the absence of values such as those expressed by Mr. Pattullo, most gays and lesbians would neither feel "condemned to a homosexual existence," The very words chosen to express these ideas are both cruel and contribute to the self-hatred many homosexuals actively feel, and the rest of us work constantly to overcome. In addition, the less controlled element of society find it all to easy to use such statements not to support us (after all, if we did have a disability, we would deserve at least decent and moral treatment) and to justify violence. Both police and medical personnel routinely refuse to take attacks on gays and lesbians seriously. There is not much difference, after all, between Jerry Falwell's statement that God tells him to hate homosexuals, and a man in New York hearing God tell him the same thing. picking up an Uzi machine-gun, and moving down people as they leave a gay bar. One leads inexorably to the other, particularly since few people will defend homosexuals Parallels between the active gay rights movement in Germany up to the 1930s and the Nazi genocide (beginning as early as 1933) against homosexuals and over own times is uncomfortable, to say the least.

Homosexuality is not a choice, anymore than heterosexuality is a choice. No one in his her right mind would choose it, given the penalties we face: rejection ,fear, loss of friends, family and children, not to mention jobs and homes, as well as prison and death, quite literally. Every gay or lesbian person personally knows suicides or dead victims of queer-bashing. We are, homosexual just as Mr. Pattullo is straight.

To draw an analogy I hope makes Mr. Pattullo and those who support him most uncomfortable, would he wish to state that "negative social pressure" should keep someone from being black in a white society (if changing the color of one's skin were possible) or from being Jewish in a Christian society? I would hope anyone would see the racism or anti-Semitism inherent to such statements.

I hope that Mr. Pattullo's letter, as well as the response to it, will encourage the President and Fellows of Harvard College, as well as the Faculty, to adopt a firm policy of nondiscrimination towards gays and lesbians, both students and employees. To live freely and without fear cannot be too much to ask. Elizabeth R. Brown   Cambridge

Please address letters for Editorial Chairman, c/o The Harvard Crimson, 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.