The myth of the heterosexual family

DONOVAN SLACK'S Aug. 12 news story ''Thou Art No Romeo" reveals a great deal about our culture's commitment to sustaining the myth that the heterosexual nuclear family is the only acceptable unit for adult couples, despite evidence to the contrary.

The story discloses that the beloved and deeply partnered swans at the Public Garden are (gasp!) both female. Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals, a person in the story describes these two swans' behavior as ''lunacy." Which is crazier, accepting basic facts or attempting to deny evidence that the world does not fit into your view of how it should be?

Furthermore, this detachment from reality extends to a Parks Department spokeswoman who confesses that when children ask her, ''Which one's Romeo and which one's Juliet?" she doesn't want to ''spoil" the ''fairy tale" by telling them the truth.

Can't we do better than telling our children lies to save ourselves from facing reality? We claim to be protecting our children, but up to a third of the youths who commit suicide are gay or lesbian. Could it be because they can't imagine fitting into our fairy tale? That's a tragic price to protect a myth.

SHERYL BARNES
Cambridge