Folks on folk. (reader forum).

I must comment on "The Queer Report" [April 15] regarding "masculine homosexuals." I am one of a handful of gay writers who planted the seeds of what I see flowering in shows like Queer as Folk and Will & Grace. Those two shows, by the way, are about the same thing: nelly gays and butch gays and, hopefully, everything in between. That's how we are. But this has not always been true. When I came out, in 1949, there was no such thing as "masculine" homosexuals. In Salt Lake City we were all "queens, my dear," no matter how "butch" we were--or seemed to be.

In the late '60s and '70s, under the name Dirk Vanden, I wrote seven "gay novels," introducing the concept of the masculine homosexual. The last three of my books--the All trilogy: I Want It All, All or Nothing, All Is Well--are regarded as classics and deal with "normal" men discovering that they love other men--with the knowledge that they don't have to be nelly queens in order to do so.

Thirty years later I am pleasantly amazed when I read of TV shows like Queer as Folk. Our world has indeed changed. Many of the things I wanted when I wrote those books have happened. I've got what I wanted--but now I'm too old to enjoy it!

Richard Fullmer, Carmichael, Calif.

I read with interest "The Queer Report," since Queer as Folk is one of my favorite cable TV shows. I too feel the show has grown considerably since the first season--not only the characters and plotlines but the actors in theft roles. I've had many discussions about whether it represents "true gay life." Well, to me, it represents the gay lives of these people, and I can relate to each of them individually in different ways. That makes it OK by me.

One of my friends recently said she doesn't want her straight co-workers to watch it and assume that it represents her lifestyle. Ironically, our group of friends, although women, is very similar to this group. What I thought was even more ironic is the fact that this friend is such a fan of daytime TV that she and her lover tape their favorite shows while they are at work so they can watch them each night. I asked her if she felt that the soaps accurately reflect straight life--or maybe she'd agree that soaps are a dramatization and even an exaggeration of straight life. She agreed. Then I said, "Isn't QAF a dramatization or exaggeration of gay life, but acceptable?" But she would not budge. She won't watch it. She is literally embarrassed about QAF but eagerly tapes All My Children each and every day. Go figure.

Morgan Hurley, San Diego, Calif.

While I'm glad to hear Peter Paige and Robert Gant say that Queer as Folk has stirred up their activist side, Paige must be kidding when he says that the third season is the best one ever. This is the season I finally stopped watching.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with Queer as Folk. I loved the brilliant U.K. original, hated the first few American episodes, but watched and appreciated it on its own trashy soap opera level. I rolled my eyes a lot but bought the DVD collections of the first two seasons. This season my eyes have seen the ceiling more than they have the TV screen. The scripts--always uneven--are embarrassingly bad. The acting--always amateurish (with the exception of Mr. Gant)--is more wooden than ever. The show has even managed to make gay sex look boring. I give up.

Alan L. Light, Iowa City, Iowa 

The producers and writers of Queer as Folk have succeeded in creating the most loathsome vision of homosexuality ever to grace the screen. If the most hateful homophobes were the scriptwriters for QAF, they couldn't have come up with anything worse. The characters range from the foppish extreme queen to the cunning sexual predator. Disease and drugs fill in the rest. An obsession with sex is the single theme that dominates the show. So much for all the work others have done to tear down stereotypes. Worse still is what the actors had to say in your recent interview. Gant actually believes that HIV is not a death sentence. This is an outrage and an invitation to commit suicide for people who take him seriously.

Ray Shelton, Glendale, Calif.

I'd like to respond to Robert Gant's statement "Terms like 'troll' and 'old queen' and 'lech'--this is how we refer to our elderly." What makes someone a "troll" or a "lech" is not their age but their behavior. I have many friends and acquaintances 10 to 40 years older than I whom I admire and respect. However, many individuals are trolls and leches regardless of their age. They have invited the label on themselves. When introduced, I can usually tell which category someone will fall into within the first 30 seconds. Someone I will want to know will shake my hand and say that it is nice to meet me. The other will say, "Aren't you cute," and grab my crotch. If you do not want to be called a lech, keep your hands to yourself unless invited.

John Mancuso, Akron, Ohio

I read "The Queer Report" with great interest until I reached the part about the reaction to the "elderly" in the gay community. At that point I was overwhelmed with gratitude that the subject itself would even grace the pages of The Advocate. Gant and Paige have nothing to worry about when they reach those golden years, providing they have the same outlook and attitude they have now. Very positive indeed!

David Ketchum, Provincetown, Mass.