By SHAWN P. O'LEARY
Forum Editor

Working from a grading system of sexuality developed in the 1930's by a Dr. Kinsey, where an exclusively heterosexual person scored a zero and an exclusively homosexual person scores a six, Johnson showed that 13% of males and 7% of females interviewed fell into scores representing homosexual/bisexual behavior. Johnson, however, prefers to categorize sexuality based on who you love, rather than primarily on sexual behavior.

Describing the psycho-sexual development phases of adolescence and puberty, he cited that this is a particularly difficult time in everyone's life. However, for those who are heterosexual there exists a massive support system of friends, parents, educators, and the society at large which acts to answer questions about heterosexuality and to reassure the younger generation.

For those who are gay and lesbian this support system does not exist, and often a person struggling with his or her sexuality follows two distinct patterns of behavior as he or she deals with feelings of fear, rejection, and intense loneliness. The first pattern is that of overcompensation, where a person becomes an excellent student, is active in school functions, and attempts to excel in all aspects of what society deems as a normal life. The second pattern describes those who drop out of society as they come to the realization that they are gay or a lesbian. They often turn to alcohol, drugs, etc. in their attempt to deny there identity.

As homosexuals come to realize their identity, Johnson claims that they deal with a profound sense of isolation, a lack of gay and lesbian role models, and the fact that their acceptance into society is based on their ability to lie about their true identity. Johnson claims that these factors add up to feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Further, he said that when a gay or lesbian person finally does come out, he or she lives out his or her missed adolescence which he or she had earlier missed. The lecture concluded with a brief period of questions and answers and an informal discussion.