Gay Women Or Lesbians?

Dear Editor: Re: [African-American] WNBA [basketball] player Sheryl Swoopes ("Battle of the Same Sex," New York Daily News, October 30, 2005).

I am irked by the press using the term "gay women athletes." "Gay" and "lesbian" are not interchangeable labels. One term identifies male homosexuals and the other identifies female homosexuals. And unless Swoopes is doing a Victor/Victoria act in her spare time, the distinction should be maintained.

Sincerely yours,

Charles Michael Smith

Note: This letter, written as a handwritten draft on October 30, 2005, was never sent to the New York Daily News.