Goal of Acceptance

I am eager to express gratitude to Terri Hamlin for her moving article in The Times on Christmas Day (“The Package Behind the Gay Label”). As the parent of a gay son and a straight daughter, I applaud the honesty, directness and beauty of her words. As one who has spent recent years reaching out publicly and privately to families of gays and lesbians, I am deeply grateful.

Seldom do siblings step forward on behalf of their gay brothers and sisters. Siblings of lesbians and gays suffer the pain of confrontation and confusion and the stress of disappointment. Ms. Hamlin’s statement, “I now accept the validity of homosexuality as a human condition, rather than a frailty,” is therefore an exceptional testimony. Her “unconditional acceptance” of her brother and his lover could serve as a goal for all of us!

AGNES G. HERMAN

San Marcos