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DR. BIEBER REPORTS THAT HE has interviewed 1000 male homosexuals; he does not, however, describe his selection procedures. Nor does he describe socioeconomic characteristics, family histories, developmental histories, or sexual histories of these individuals. Dr. Bieber has every right to his opinion that "there is a causal relationship between parental influence and sexual object choice." Some clinicians and investigators would differ. If Dr. Bieber has material from 1000 interviews it should be published so that we can make distinctions between conclusions, hypotheses, and speculations.
In 1952, a Research Committee of the Society of Medical Psychoanalysts was formed (Bieber, 1962). Members of the Committee had 20 male homosexual patients in treatment who were utilized in a pilot study. A questionnaire was constructed and refined, and then three copies were distributed to each member of the Society of Medical Psychoanalysts together with a covering letter requesting each to fill out the questionnaire on every male homosexual presently in treatment.
The members were further requested to fill out additional questionnaires if they were treating more than three male homosexuals. In the event they were treating fewer than three or none, they were asked to fill out the unused questionnaires for heterosexual male patients. These heterosexual patients formed the comparison sample. No formal instruction for selection of the comparison cases was given.
Seventy-seven analysts participated in the study. Twenty-six contributed 47 homosexual patients and 55 comparisons. Thirty-two contributed the remaining homosexual cases and 19 contributed the remaining heterosexual cases.