Letter: Gay survey results cannot be accurate while stigma remains

I HOPE that MPs, following on the recent wave of scandal, will not be too afraid of their constituents to follow their consciences when voting to lower the homosexual age of consent from 21 to 16, or at least 18. The recent report showing a lower incidence of homosexuality than was previously thought should not deter Parliament. If there were only three gay people in the country the present situation would still be an injustice. The real threat to our society lies in the alarming increase in crime, violence, and family break-up. Linda Grant is right to insist, in her excellent article ('Why do young men rape elderly women?', 23 January), on more research into this crime.

There is a sickness in society there which we ignore at our peril.

Oakham, Leicestershire