Homosexuality "complex"

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32425, 12 October 1970, Page 11

Homosexuality "complex"

Homosexual acts between consenting adult males should not be a crime, but a problem to be studied and if possible corrected, a Brazilian endocrinologist, Dr Attilio Z. Flosi, said in Christchurch on Friday.

Homosexuality was a very complex problem, Dr Flosi said, and treating it as a crime was only going to make the problem worse. Homosexuality appeared to be increasing in the mostdeveloped countries, said Dr Flosi, but it was not known if this was a real increase, or an apparent increase; a result of the question coming more into the open. In the past societies punished homosexuality heavily, and for this reason

it was kept very much a secret. It seemed that when society did not punish homosexuals to the same extent, they became more “visible.”

There could be other reasons as well, he said. For instance, today the differentiation between men and women was not as great as in the past—“unisex” clothes were an example. In the past sexual relations were for reproduction, to produce a family; now the emphasis was more likely to be on the pleasure. Perhaps when reproduction was not important, there was a feeling there was not so much reason for a hetero-

sexual relationship, Dr Flosi said.

It was said that modem society was in crisis, and all this crisis made for deviancy because people were looking for a more open existence, to revolt against a normal life. In some ways it was a good thing that male homosexuality and lesbianism should be more visible, for it made treatment and study more likely, Dr Flosi said. There was reason to believe a male-female hormone imbalance could be involved in homosexuality. Treatment for such imbalance had been tried, but with uncertain results.