Letter: Age of consent debate rages on

Sir: With what sense of irony were today's editorial and letters (23 February) condemning MPs' refusal to lower the homosexual age of consent to 16, positioned adjacent to the obituary of Randy Shilts? He was derided by some of his fellow gays for advocating an end to 'anonymous multiple sexual encounters' and to 'promiscuous sex with unknown partners' in pitch blackness.

Is it any wonder, then, that there is still a large constituency within the country that remains to be convinced that homosexuality is merely part of 'the varied expressions of sexuality which are an inescapable part of the human condition'.

Yours faithfully,

ANDREW HAINES

Andover, Hampshire