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Leary, LSD, and homosexuality

WSH

WSH

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
360
I read the official playboy interview with Leary

He said the following (bolded by me):

LEARY: On the contrary, the fact is that LSD is a specific cure for homosexuality. It's well known that most sexual perversions are the result not of biological binds but of freaky, dislocating childhood experiences of one kind or another.
Click to expand...

Ram Dass (one of his best friends) said he was scared to admit to Leary that he's gay, because he knew how he'd react!

I don't know if LSD is a "cure" for homosexuality, but it certainly is not a cure for homophobia!

Leary took LSD maybe 1000s of times and he still suffered from homophobia!

In my opinion, Leary is the only one that is perverted, and certainly not Ram Dass!
 
I thought Ram Daas was bisexual? Didn't he have a kid at some point?

I also don't think the idea that homosexuality can be caused by traumatic experiences in childhood is that far fetched. Not saying its like that in every case, but I think one of the downsides to the new cultural acceptance of homosexuality is that now it has become taboo to even talk about changing it.
 
I think Ram Daas may have been a closeted homosexual.

Its not that surising. Leary was a product of much more conservative times and was expressing a belief relatively commonly held. The interview was conducted in 1966, I imagine his views may have modernised over the years.

What does it matter anyway.
 
This was an interview in 1966. Hardly the most progressive time for Gay Rights.

I'd let Timmy blow me.... oh wait uhh is this thing live? Are we recording? *blushes*
 
swilow said:
I think Ram Daas may have been a closeted homosexual.

Its not that surising. Leary was a product of much more conservative times and was expressing a belief relatively commonly held. The interview was conducted in 1966, I imagine his views may have modernised over the years.

What does it matter anyway.
Click to expand...

Indeed, I looked this up and apparently in the 80s he said:

'Since homosexuality has always been a part of every society, you have to assume that there is something necessary, correct and valid - genetically natural - about it.'
 
Interesting idea that something is right just because it has always been in society. One could argue that thus war and pedophilia are also necessary etc.

I would take the statements above as an example not to rely in others opinions and think for your self.
If you choose to have saints I would be sceptical about someone who faked data in scientific research ;)
 
WHen did Leary fake data? And has every society had war and pedophilia?

I am a huge Leary fan, but I'll be the first to admit he had some serious personality flaws. Albert Hoffman said Leary struck him as very irresponsible and reckless.
 
burn out said:
.............. Albert Hoffman said Leary struck him as very irresponsible and reckless.
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In these so-called enlightened times, there are still many people in my country (UK) who think that people who take drugs - especially that really freaky stuff called 'acid' - are very irresponsible and reckless.

And without a hint of irony, somewhere in "LSD, my problem child", Hoffman writes something along the lines of "we were not irresponsible, when we took LSD we were accompanied by a doctor. He could be found wafting around the castle in flowing robes having taken 300ug of LSD".

(before anyone flames me for inaccuracy, I did say "something along the lines of ...". It's a couple of decades since I read it but if you check it out you'll see I'm not far off)
 
Considering Hoffman took LSD after spilling it on himself. Its hard to see that as something other than reckless.
 
^ LOL, that was funny Swilow.

I still am amazed at the mindsets of people in past years. Reading the Miles Davis autobiography it is amazing how police could just pull someone off a stage and check for needle tracks. Mostly black people too back in the 40's and 50's. I think I am trying to point out that the mindset is there for society so people just adapt to the beliefs of the masses. People didn't even think to hard about homosexuality. But now in 2016 with it becoming commonplace the whole mindset did change with most of the people.

I love Leary. The way he died partying and making death a happy occasion I am still in debt to him when he asked "Why?" and then smiled and said "Why Not!" and died. That whole seen of partying till death comes is the exact opposite of the word "uptight" :D Well done Tim. RIP
 
burn out said:
WHen did Leary fake data? And has every society had war and pedophilia?

I am a huge Leary fan, but I'll be the first to admit he had some serious personality flaws. Albert Hoffman said Leary struck him as very irresponsible and reckless.
Click to expand...

I got this from a MAPS talk. They were discussing giving lsd or psilocybin to convicted criminals. Apparently Leary did this as well with limited success. The speaker replied that we don't know this as Leary faked the data.
 
Oh I believe he gave the criminals more help than simply the psychedelic sessions. At one point he had one of the criminals living at his house and working a job Leary found for him. Perhaps that's what he meant by faked the data?

Basically all that study proved was that if you give criminals lots of help and attention, you can reduce the recidivism rate. Not particularly surprising.
 
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burn out said:
Indeed, I looked this up and apparently in the 80s he said:

'Since homosexuality has always been a part of every society, you have to assume that there is something necessary, correct and valid - genetically natural - about it.'
Click to expand...

Yes, he evolved :)

Do you guys think that ram dass told leary eventually?
 
swilow said:
I think Ram Daas may have been a closeted homosexual.

Its not that surising. Leary was a product of much more conservative times and was expressing a belief relatively commonly held. The interview was conducted in 1966, I imagine his views may have modernised over the years.

What does it matter anyway.
Click to expand...

Didn't the Beatles song "you've got to hide your love away" about gay manager brian epstein get featured in the 1965 film Help?
 
Orbis said:
Didn't the Beatles song "you've got to hide your love away" about gay manager brian epstein get featured in the 1965 film Help?
Click to expand...

That's not a fact tho - that's a theory Tom Robinson (a gay UK singer) had once. Lennon in real life was often horrendously cruel to Epstein about his sexuality. Eg Epstein "What should I call my book?" Lennon "How about Queer Jew?". Doesn't make Lennon a "homophobe" or any bullshit like that, just makes him a human being. Later in life he wrote "Why make it sad to be gay, doing your thing is ok, our bodies our own, so leave us alone, go play with yourself - today".

Leary calling it a perversion was probably just a word used at the time - he came from psychiatry where language like that was commonplace. I don't think it's possible to judge peoples entire lives on one comment in an interview. Leary had his faults like all of us but I've always kinda liked the guy.

Ram Dass had his faults too - he made up all that nonsense about "he took 900mics and just sat there smiling" to try and push his silly religious beliefs - "like, you don't need LSD - become a hindu like me and you feel like you're on 900mics like all the time dude!!". Fucking numpty. Nice enough guy in other parts of his life tho.
 
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