Peter Wilson

P eople who are different -- who appear, behave, or think in
ways that are not congruent with the majority with whom
they live -- raise questions about the nature of normality or
of health. By virtue of their difference, they represent a threat to
others. For the most part they are required to conform; rarely are
they adequately understood.

There is, of course, nothing exceptional in this state of affairs:
groups and societies are forever tussling in one way or another to
deal with the differences within them and hold on to their own
essential equilibrium and identity. There are different levels of
tolerance for different kinds of differences -- and, by and large, the
more complex a group or society is, the greater the range of toler-
ances found. However, there are some differences that present
particular challenges. Some may be political or religious in nature,
but invariably it is those that have a sexual quality about them that
raise the largest concern. In our society, we struggle, for example,
with issues about homosexuality, teenage sexuality, extra-marital
casual sex, and so forth -- against an underlying pressure towards
adult heterosexual monogamy. When it comes to responding to

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