I read Gay Socrates's article in the November issue of G-Scene with interest.

While I could go along happily enough with his sharing of his experiences at Laurieston Hall and the Edward Carpenter Community (I have been a member of the Edward Carpenter Community for 25 years now and know Laurieston Hall well) I was less comfortable (to put it mildly) with the conclusion he draws from his musings towards the end of his article where he writes:

"This leads only to the appalling state of affairs where our elders unthinkingly infect our youth with chronic incurable diseases for the sake of a moment of bareback pleasure".

No facts or figures are used to support this outlandish and hurtful statement and yet it is stated as if it were a fact.

As an older gay positive man I found the above sentence ageist; unsubstantiated and opinionated.

I cannot know what personal agenda the author has but an apology would be in order after he has made an effort to review his beliefs against the evidence available.