Billy in the out field.

After having read the June 24 issue three times, tears still come to my eyes. The pride material is very refreshing, especially "Billy Bean's Pitch." Bean has profound insight on the goings-on in pro sports. While he does not say so pointedly, he reveals his feelings while traveling the coming-out process. For that I have only praise for his courage.

Bob Meima, Via the Internet

Billy Bean's only "accomplishment" was staying in the closet until it was safe for him to come out. So how come he rates an Advocate cover (his second) while a true gay rights pioneer like Evan Wolfson is buried in the middle of the issue? Easy. Because Bean can be photographed flashing Iris armpits in a tank top.

Steve Kluger, Santa Monica, Calif.

Michael Gross hit a home run with his story about Billy Bean and his new book, Going the Other Way. I just finished reading the book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in people and our society.

Jerry Mainer, Gambrills, Md.

Writer Michael Joseph Gross states, "Some would argue, not without reason, that admiring jocks such as Billy Bean signals some discomfort with the essential queerness of gay life." Boy, if it isn't crapola like this statement that kept me a "closeted" football and basketball fan as a young kid, because I knew I was probably gay from an early age and was under the impression that the typical gay kid "didn't like" or was "too queer" for sports--be it as a participant or merely as a spectator and fan. I'm angry that small minds, both gay and straight, continue to further ridiculous stereotypes. What a shame that some kid who likes to watch sports or wants to play football or baseball or basketball might be made to feel that admiring someone in the field he or she aspires to is somehow a reflection that they are uncomfortable with their innate sexuality.

John Shepherd, Los Angeles, Calif..

I have only three words to say regarding Billy Bean: "Oh, my God!" Thank you for sharing this man, who is beautiful both inside and out. Efrain Veiga is one lucky man!

Alan Ferrara, San Francisco, Calif.

As too many of your recent covers suggest, gay men will overlook even the most disturbing messages--including homophobic ones--as long as they're served up with a lavish side of beefcake. I am delighted that Mr. Bean has found happiness and fulfillment beyond the closet door. However, his myopia is infuriating.

In defending his right to remain closeted throughout his lucrative career, he says that if one's livelihood is "specifically contingent upon your ability to work among people who might persecute you, then it's a fair decision to keep your life private." Fair? According to whose terms?

As a double minority, I've never had the luxury (nor would I accept it were it offered) of denying my ethnicity by keeping it "private" in a bigoted world. It's no wonder wide chasms exist between communities of color that have struggled for hard-won civil rights and gay communities whose poster boys, cuteness notwithstanding, include the likes of Billy Bean.

Pablo Miguel Martinez San Antonio, Tex.

I don't care whether Billy Bean thinks professional athletes should stay in the closet for the sake of their careers. All I ask is that he face the camera whenever he takes his shirt off and, if possible, wear Speedos.

Ed Sikov, New York, N.Y.