homosexual sex in private between consenting adults, Bermuda is feeling some pressure to follow-suite. It is interesting to us that the move for legalisation is coming from a concerned activist in New Jersey who is addressing the Governor and London rather than from inside Bermuda.

Clearly Bermuda's law embarrasses London because it violates Britain's laws and the British agreement to European human rights. It probaly also violates United Nations agreements and some think it violates Bermuda's own constitution.

Given the law as it stands, and the fact that gay rights have traditionally been excluded from Bermuda's human rights legislation, it is surprising that Bermuda has not had the kind of public gay demonstrations which have taken place in other countries. Movements often take a bit longer to arrive in Bermuda but, generally, they do arrive and we suspect that it will not be long before there is loud pressure inside Bermuda to change the law.

Maybe Bermuda has something to learn from Colorado.

The Associated Press has reported that Denver, Colorado, Mayor Wellington Webb appeared on the Arsenio Hall television talk show urging Americans not to boycott Colorado over its anti-gay-rights law.

It was the latest stop for Mr. Webb in his media campaign to fend off any boycott of the state's lucrative tourist industry, a boycott which is supported and publicised by top Hollywood stars, notably Barbra Streisand and by tennis ace Martina Navatrilova.

Three conventions worth $10 million in anticipated spending have canceled plans to meet in Denver because of the new law.

We have to wonder what the impact on Bermuda would be if gay groups began to picket in Bermuda and received coverage in the United States. Such coverage is very much in fashion these days. What, for instance, would Premier Sir John Swan say to President Bill Clinton who has so openly supported gay rights? None of this is to say that gays in Bermuda have been without political power.

There are real indications that they have had considerable impact in marginal constituencies but have used the privacy of a voting booth rather than the public street. For years it has been thought that the gay vote narrowly defeated the Hon. Quinton Edness in Warwick West and forced him to spend a term in the Senate because he refused to include gay rights in the original human rights legislation. At the last election there were indications that gays in Hamilton West voted against Senator Maxwell Burgess who was narrowly defeated because it was known he opposed gay rights legislation.

We were surprised last week that the Government, which has generally supported liberal legislation, did not take the opportunity to make a more positive statement than the routine, "We'll look at it''.

We were equally surprised by the statement from the leader of the PLP Mr.

Frederick Wade that he thought the PLP would leave a decision on gay rights to the individual parliamentarians and their conscience. That is the way the British did the vote 35 years ago but it is a total change from the PLPs usual objection to any progressive legislation.

Surely it is time for Bermuda to get in line with the rest of the civilised world. It would be better to deal with the issue sensitively now rather than respond to demonstrations - and the ballot box - later on.