The marrying kind. (reader forum).

Massachusetts candidate for governor Robert Reich should be applauded for his support of full marriage rights for same-sex couples [At Issue, July 23]. However, your statement "It's the furthest a gubernatorial candidate has ever gone in supporting equal rights for gay couples" is not entirely accurate. In 1998 former New York State transportation commissioner Jim Larocca made LGBT rights a cornerstone of his campaign for governor. Not only did he unequivocally support full marriage rights, he also pledged, if elected, to veto any Defense of Marriage-style legislation passed by the legislature. Contrary to what conventional wisdom might suggest, his leadership on such a progressive issue did not cost him support in conservative areas. Larocca gained more votes at the Democratic Party's rural caucus than all other candidates combined. He ultimately fell short in his quest to become governor more from a lack of money than from being perceived as too liberal.

Doug Sterner, New York, N.Y.

While I appreciate Reich's willingness to support same-sex marriage, he is not the [only] gubernatorial candidate to do so. This year the Minnesota Green Party's candidate for governor, Ken Pentel, supports same-sex marriage rights in line with the state and national party platforms of the Greens.

David Strand, Minneapolis, Minn.

Please keep letters brief and to the point; we reserve the right to edit all letters as deemed necessary. Letters must include the home address and phone number of the writer and should be sent to Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 4371, Los Angeles, CA 90078; faxed to [phone]; or E-mailed to [e-mail], We cannot respond to letters individually. For general information, send an E-mail to [e-mail] with info typed in the subject line of your message.

Find more letters and the unabridged versions of some of these letters on the Web at www.advocate.com.