Burning over Bush.

I was extremely disheartened to read Abner Mason's apologia for President Bush ["Why Bush's Win Is a Victory for Gays," December 21]. While I understand that many centrist gays and lesbians have a valid argument in claiming that second-class civil unions are a necessary temporary measure, to praise Bush as a champion of sexual freedom and an AIDS crusader is preposterous. Nowhere in Mason's article is there any mention of Bush's "abstinence only" sex education program, which repeats misinformation and disinformation about homosexuality and condom use. Given the irreconcilability of Bush's puritanical sex education program with his pro-gay claims, and his mysterious avoidance of attempting to legislate the civil unions he supposedly supports, it seems clear that whatever pro-gay positions he has taken were callous bids to win over gullible gay voters.

Andrew Grossman, via the Internet

I read Abner Mason's article with a sigh of relief. I did not vote for the president. I disagree with him on many issues. But I was glad to hear President Bush say he supported civil unions. Would I like marriage equality? Yes! Would I welcome civil unions until that happens? Yes!

I have been with the same man for 28 years. We are tired of carrying 17 pages of legal documents each with us whenever we travel just to ensure our rights.

I am also a Christian. It has never occurred to me to ask the state to bless my union with my spouse. This is something my church will do for us. In fact, we have had our relationship blessed by our church on two different occasions.

So I say, thank you, Mr. Mason. I hope folks read your article, learn, and move toward getting this basic civil right. Now, the war in Iraq, the deficit, health care, and a couple of other things need a lot more work. I will respectfully, and loudly, agree to disagree with the president on these issues.

Ed Kaczperski, Boca Raton, Fla.

Mason's comment that "we could hardly ask for a better partner than George W. Bush" must be a joke. I can think of a hundred different partners who would genuinely respect and support our lifestyles, or loves, and our right to equality.

Lindy Adams, Valparaiso, Ind.

If Mr. Mason truly believes what he has written, then I have a bridge that I would like to sell him.

Charles Moore, Evanston, Ill.

I would certainly like GLBT groups to talk to this administration, and I hope that the Administration will listen attentively. Right now, however, you'll have to excuse me while I head to my still-private bedroom and hide my face in my pillow.

Jeffrey A. Jones, Lisbon, N.H.

I was deeply saddened to read Abner Mason's commentary. As an African-American, Mr. Mason has apparently forgotten our country's imperfect past and sees nothing wrong with reinserting "separate but equal" back into our Constitution. Let me be clear: I am not a white wine-drinking, quiche-eating Deaniac--far from it. However, eroding the basic civil rights of any Americans is simply un-American. I am embarrassed for Mr. Mason.

Richard S. Ferri, Provincetown, Mass.

Mason writes, "It's now clear that we overreached with the push for gay marriage. The country is not ready for it." Was the country ready to abolish slavery, or did it take the visionary Lincoln to fight for the right of every man to be free? Was this country ready for Martin Luther King's historic march on Washington? The country might think we have overreached and might not be ready for me and my family, but I exist, and that is simply a fact of this life. I will not stand down!

Joy Rothman, Chappaqua, N. Y.