MALE AND FEMALE HOMOSEXUALS WERE SELECTED AS TARGETS OF STEREOTYPING ACCORDING TO CERTAIN PHYSICAL TRAITS AND BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS WHICH SELF-DEFINED NORMAL (OR, HETEROSEXUAL) INDIVIDUALS PERCEIVE AS BEING THE CRITERIA FOR RECOGNIZING THAT TYPE OF DEVIANT. A SAMPLE OF MALE AND FEMALE RESPONDENTS FROM WIDELY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS (E.G., KOREAN WAR VETERANS WHO WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR WARTIME EXPERIENCES WITH HOMOSEXUAL CLASSMATES OR ROOMMATES) REPORTED ON SUPPOSED HOMOSEXUALS THEY HAD MET, AND ON ADMITTED HOMOSEXUALS WHO HAD ACTUALLY MADE ADVANCES TO THE SURVEY SUBJECTS. FOR THE FIRST CATEGORY (SUPPOSED HOMOSEXUALS) CRITERIA WERE DIFFERENT AND DESCRIPTIONS UNCERTAIN, SO THAT IT APPEARED THAT MOST PEOPLE'S PERCEPTIONS OF HOMOSEXUALS WERE EXTREMELY SUBJECTIVE. RESPONDENTS' REACTIONS TO ACTUAL HOMOSEXUAL ADVANCES WERE FOUND TO BE SURPRISINGLY MILD. NONE OF THE MALE SUBJECTS REPORTED THE TRADITIONAL MACHO RESPONSE OF BEATING UP HOMOSEXUALS. ONLY ONE MALE SUBJECT SAID HE HAD HIT A HOMOSEXUAL ONCE, DURING AN UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE ENCOUNTER. OTHER SUBJECTS, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE, EXPRESSED VERBAL REJECTION OF THE HOMOSEXUAL ADVANCES (WITHOUT PERSONAL INSULTS, HOWEVER) AND DROPPED THE ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE HOMOSEXUAL IN QUESTION. STILL OTHER RESPONDENTS, AFTER MAKING THEIR LACK OF INTEREST IN THAT TYPE OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY VERY CLEAR, MAINTAINED SUPERFICIAL SOCIAL CONTACTS WITH THEIR ONE-TIME HOMOSEXUAL SUITORS BECAUSE THEY LIKED THEM AS PERSONS. THUS, IN COMTEMPORARY SOCIETY, REACTIONS TO DEVIANT BEHAVIOR DEPEND TO A GREAT EXTENT UPON SITUATIONAL FACTORS AND THE ACTIVITIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL AGENCIES. --IN SPANISH.