30-something.

Groups like 20something, profiled in your October 24 issue, can be very important resource for young people coming to terms with their sexuality ["Not Alone in the Big Apple"]. Unfortunately, my experience with this organization was not a particularly positive one.

Although I was well within their age limit, one of the leaders of the group informed me that I looked and acted older than 33 [the group's age limit] and that there was a fear that I might make some of the members "ucomfortable." Though not explicitly stated, it was clear that I was no longer welcome.

What kind of message does this send when a group in a supposedly safe environment decides to discriminate--particularly to young people like myself for whom this is their first encounter with a gay organization and who have likely already encountered considerable rejection? Sad to say, tolerance and acceptance are often preached to those outside the gay community but not always practiced from within.

A. COHEN Brooklyn, N.Y.