BRIAN McINTYRE,
Madam, - At the heart of this gay Irishman's trauma in embracing his orientation was eradicating the murky world of self-doubt and loathing which, promoted by Irish society, often comes with the territory.
Tony Allwright's letter of October 14th is an interesting prism through which to observe Ireland's slow progress in refraining from gobbling up her own farrow.
Mr Allwright appears, to be sure, a most reasonable and noble contributor. He emphatically berates the Catholic clergy for their "un-Christlike and therefore un-Catholic" sentiments with regard to homosexuals. But then, the sting in the tail: these sentiments, he continues, are directed by the Vatican towards those who are "unlucky enough to be born gay". With a subtle flourish, the putative defence of homosexuals turns to jelly.
Because the point is this: Irish gay people are not unlucky to be born gay. Rather, their lack of luck resides in the attitudes of the society into which they are born. It is the collective responsibility of adults of every orientation to assure that our gay children come to awareness and maturity in a profoundly new Irish society, where luck plays no role. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN McINTYRE,
Balglass Road,
Howth,
Co Dublin.