Letters

The Battle over Gay Teens

The tendency for young homosexuals to come out with more ease than in the past was embraced by gays and others eager to see sexual orientation destigmatized. But for some readers, gay love now dares to speak its name too loudly--they would be more content if the closet door had never been opened

TIME is to be commended for its insightful, balanced and thoroughly researched cover story on gay teenagers [Oct. 10]. In addition to highlighting some of the benefits that gay teens now enjoy compared with earlier generations, writer John Cloud also accurately depicts a number of the struggles-- personal, social and religious--that young gays face daily. As the head of a nonprofit organization that operates a nationwide suicide-prevention help line for gay and questioning youth, I hear stories of difficulties every day. And although some gains have been made, the sad reality is that suicide is the No. 3 killer of teenagers, and gay youths are more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

JORGE VALENCIA, PRESIDENT THE TREVOR PROJECT Beverly Hills, Calif.

I was very disappointed with TIME's cover. I am so tired of people trying to force us all to accept homosexuality. It is really sad that you can't read a magazine, watch television or go to a movie without finding some form of homosexual innuendo. What is the deal? Are there no longer any morals? At what point will America stand up and say, No more?

SANDRA DYMACEK Bowling Green, Ky.

Oh, if only my generation had had gay-straight support groups back in the 1950s, when I was a lonely teen who thought of myself as a disgusting, repulsive pervert! But there is still so much more to be done.

MIKE VARADY Los Angeles

You did an excellent job pointing out that for many of us, being gay isn't about bars and parties--it's about life, in all its many variations. I just wish you had talked a little less about sex. Being gay, like being straight, is also about how one finds affection, commitment and, yes, lifelong meaningful partnerships.

NATHANIEL R. BROWN Edmonds, Wash.

Cloud didn't use much nuance in saying my film Hedwig and the Angry Inch was "a cult musical about the relationship between a drag queen and a young singer" and includes a scene in which a teenage boy is "masturbated by an adult." Is that what it really boils down to for Cloud? He might have also touched on why it has already found favor with many scholars. I've been told by young people of all persuasions that Hedwig is appealing because it is an exploration of personal identity outside traditional straight, gay or even transgender definitions. In the end, it's about love. Every movie, song, TV commercial, video game and news story is about love. Or the absence of it.

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL New York City

The assertion that "at many schools it is now profoundly uncool to be seen as anti-gay" is extremely misleading. Not a single day passes without my hearing "Dude, you're a fag" or some other gratuitous homophobic remark. America's schools are not gay-friendly.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST San Diego

Those who believe that gays can and should be "altered" might be well advised to consider what it would take to change their own sexual orientation.

BARBARA KRENTZMAN Buffalo Grove, Ill.