Sir, - Mrs Ethna M. Cotter (August 5th) makes the rather interesting point that homosexuals' human rights must be defended (of course!), but that this does not mean that they should be allowed to perform homosexual acts. I cannot see how homosexuals performing sexual acts in private can possibly affect her or be offensive to her, any more than heterosexuals.
Given that one of the most basic human rights is that of sexual privacy, it seems extraordinary that Mrs Cotter should speak of "sensitivity and compassion" while, in the same breath, denying homosexuals this very right.
Inherent in all rights is the opportunity to practically avail of same, and not to just have them on paper. What Mrs Cotter expresses in her letter is akin to saying that refugees' human rights must be defended (of course!), but that they should not be permitted to enter our country. - Yours, etc., Barry M. Ward
The Student Consultative Forum, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.