European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 4, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 a the stars and stripes monday May 4, 1992 Ami Landers dear readers i am devoting another Day to an Issue that has generated More mail than almost any other since i started writing the column nearly 37 years ago. I asked my homosexual readers to respond to the question Quot Are you glad you Are Gay or would you rather be straight Quot More than 75,000 readers wrote and told me How they feel about their sexual orientation. It was 30-to-l, Quot yes i m glad i m  Here Are More excerpts from the most fascinating and revealing letters in be read in a Long time from Louisville by yes Ann in a glad in a Gay. Thank you for asking. But being Gay is a. Very Small part of who i am. In a a teacher and a football coach. I play classical music and a Good game of Tennis. In a a gourmet Cook. I can ski and i can sew. I am Active in my Church and a Volunteer at our local shelter for the homeless. I done to believe in labels. Lets just say i am human. Boston in a 32 years old the chairman of a multimillion Dollar High tech company. And yes in a Gay. Several weeks ago i attended a meeting of a group called a the greater Boston business  i walked into the today s crossword ballroom of a Hilton hotel and  believe my eyes a More than 200 professional Gay men and women. If i Hadnot known where i was i would have sworn it was a meeting of the chamber of Commerce. We Are your doctors lawyers shopkeepers bus Drivers waiters and florists. But Best of All we look walk and talk like everyone else. There Are Many More of us in the closet than out but its becoming much easier to be open thank the Good lord who made us All. Santa be . Usually you Are pretty sensible Ann but asking your Gay readers to Tell you if they wish they were straight was Over the top. Would you for a minute ask your dear Abby dear Abby my brother and his wife Are very staunch believers in their religion. Last year their Church had their 14-year-old son Send out letters to not Only friends neighbors and relatives but also to friends and relatives of his grandparents As Well. The letters requested a $100 donation to help Send this boy to a two month religious Camp in Europe to help spread the word. To say that we were aghast is to put it mildly. Everyone Felt that if his parents wanted him to have this proselytizing experience and training they should foot the Bill themselves. They can Well afford it my parents told my brother that they done to approve of this begging and its embarrassing to have their neighbors and relatives approached. Well my brother ignored their wishes and this year their son has sent letters again a this time for a two month religious Retreat in Colorado quibble r still Mayen t fax Gnu Tec it our that it is the fire Jim supposed to a up lev it our hefty. Jyh the tic Meti t troops 0� equipment. This is not a sensitive aft a. And Tefte is Motrii cig of value 607 Here auf i am a Soldier my r a conditioned to a Rcpt it it obey orcs from the officers and cos in Cratte of he. Readers if they Are glad they re straight people know Only How it is to be what they Are. For me being Gay is As natural As being straight is for you. Would you want to change Well neither would i. Royal Oak Mich yes in a Gay now 73 years old and its been a difficult life. I knew that being Gay was beyond my control from the beginning. I prayed about it and finally accepted it. I figured if god made me this Way he must have had a reason. I never Felt comfortable with a woman. It was impossible to think of a woman in a sexual Way. I tried a few times when i was in the army during world War ii and just . So when they now say its in our genes i know its the truth. In a glad in a not married because i  want to bring a son into the world who might have to struggle As i have. Denver. In be known since i was 4 that i was  after a few years of therapy for depression and anxiety attacks i accepted the tact that i m a lesbian. If i could take a Pill that would make me straight i  do it. I love the sensitivity and honesty that women have and men Lack. Actually the worst part of being Gay is the prejudice and hatred we encounter from supposedly a a christians people. Chicago. Are Gay people Happy actually some of us Are despite the fact that we live in a society that Calls us a sick a a a depraved and  with those labels its not easy to maintain self esteem. If straight people have a problem with my being Gay that a their hang up not mine. I also find it fascinating that some of the most vicious Gay washers Are closet Gays themselves. People who Are sure of their own sexuality Are willing to live and let live. And now dear readers this is Ann it is my firm conviction that homosexuality is not Learned behaviour it is genetic. It can be suppressed but not altered. C creators Syndicate inc. Is there a tactful Way to put an end to this begging without causing a serious rift in the family aghast dear aghast i know of no Quot tact ii Quot Way to Tell anyone that he has a lot of guts hitting on his relatives friends and neighbors for donations to Send his son to a religious Retreat a especially when he can foot the Bill himself. And done to worry about causing a Quot serious rift Quot in your family. Nervy people need to be told when they have gone too far. To Cave in to their demands would Only invite More of the same. Trust me dear Abby can you stand one More Limerick if so Here goes my All time favorite a wonderful Bird is the Pelican. His beak holds More than his belly can. He takes in his beak enough food for a week but in a darned if i know How the Hellicas. Shuba Kukkillaya c Universal press Syndicate across 1 Jai a s part of a curve a Lake a source of the Blue Nile 12 wrong name 14 distinct part 15 american dessert 16 unas pirated consonant 17 Ninny 18 marbles 20wwi Battle site 23 fed. Agent 24 dry and Barren 28 red. Green and Sweet 28 electronic eavesdropper 29 prove false 30 rower 32 hand shackle 34 party giver 38 woe is Mel 36 Church contribution 37 typewriter roller 40 Witch s Cousin 41 she Sang to sir with love 42 Georgia dessert 47 unique thing 48 offer As a sacrifice 49 Freshwater fish 80 ending for heir or lion 81 mythical. Norse giant Down 1 a i a camera 2 impudent talk 3 venomous Snake 4 not on the coast 8 elec. 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