K H COLLEY (BEN, August 8) is mistaken in his ludicrous claim that "some clowns are proposing that homosexuals should be given carte-blanche to chase each other around public toilets".

The proposal he refers to, is that gay sex in public should be regulated under the Public Order Act, rather than under the Sexual Offences Acts, and the 'clowns' from whom the recommendation comes are a Home Office inter-departmental committee, comprised of 15 men and 17 women, including two detective superintendents, two QCs, a clergyman and two representatives from the NSPCC.

Clause 28, which forbids the promotion of homosexuality as a pretend family relationship, and which worries K H Colley so much, is a badly drafted legal nonsense which has not resulted in a single prosecution.

If the House of Lords persist in their homophobic resistance to its abolition, then the Clause will probably be struck down by the courts. Pending one of these things, we shall just have to educate teachers to ignore this wicked bit of legislation, which they are perfectly entitled to do since it relates only to local councils and does not -- repeat DOES NOT -- apply to schools. Not a lot of people know that.

Allan Horsfall

(President)

Campaign for Homosexual Equality

London