OUT AND ABOUT

Just when I thought EW couldn't get any better, you come out with an issue that blows me away. ''The Gay '90s'' (#291, Sept. 8) is an insightful, fascinating, intelligently written account of the progress made in homosexuals' struggle to gain acceptance. If I weren't already a fiercely dedicated EW reader, I sure as hell would be now. PETER DAWSON Vancouver

Thanks for ''The Gay '90s.'' One complaint, though: You say sexual preference is a private matter. Clearly you don't believe it is, since you trumpet straight people's sexuality ad nauseam. Discussing a person's sexuality is not the same as discussing whom they sleep with. When the double standards are gone in publications like EW, we'll know things have changed. SCOTT MILLER chaz64@aol.com St. Louis

I'm sick and tired of gays whining about Braveheart! The king was a ruthless tyrant who mistreated everyone, not just his son's male lover. The king was much more cruel to Wallace -- a heterosexual male. I think all straight, Scottish men should start complaining about being persecuted in this film. DENISE GARY Carrollton, Tex.

It's rare that a magazine as mainstream as EW takes a stand on issues concerning gays and lesbians. I'm not sure if the commoditization of the gay community is good or bad, but with cover stories such as this, I'm going to have a good time making up my mind. KENNETH KNOX KKnox0616@aol.com Gettysburg, Pa.

I'd like to applaud your courage to print an issue that is sure to cancel subscriptions. What those frightened people don't realize is that they already know and respect some gay people. Thanks for (hopefully) opening a few eyes. KAREN POPE Nunyrbezwx@aol.com Saginaw, Tex.

I and many others were nothing less than enraged that you devoted more than 20 pages of ridiculous fruity-themed rubbish to your ''Gay '90s'' issue. In a seemingly desperate attempt to be hip and PC by backing the gay-pseudo-culture-pushed notion that even heterosexuals cannot be remotely affectionate with one another without being labeled as ''gay,'' you have fallen flat on your faces. I am deeply troubled that even Bruce Wayne and Pumbaa and Timon had to bear the brunt of this paranoia. JUSTIN SLOSKY Shrewsbury, Mass.

'MELROSE' COURT

The Court would like to extend its sincere gratitude for providing our sequestered jurors with copies of the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY on Melrose Place. The copies were given to the jurors, and I'm sure that they will enjoy them immensely. JUDGE LANCE A. ITO Los Angeles

Editor's Note: We sent the long-isolated O.J. Simpson jurors copies of our special issue after learning that many were Melrose Place fans.


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