Stuart Kellogg

Malcolm Forbes, the flamboyant publisher known for his relationships with hot-air balloons and Elizabeth Taylor, had been dead only a week when rumors about his sexual orientation hit the mainstream media. In a USA Today gossip column, Forbes, the divorced father of five children and grandfather of nine, was described as "leading a gay lifestyle for at least the last five years."

Malcolm Forbes, the flamboyant publisher known for his relationships with hot-air balloons and Elizabeth Taylor, had been dead only a week when rumors about his sexual orientation hit the mainstream media. In a USA Today gossip column, Forbes, the divorced father of five children and grandfather of nine, was described as "leading a gay lifestyle for at least the last five years."

"Outing . . . is not confined to dead folks," says Beth Ann Krier, Times staff writer. What follows is her lengthy explanation of what outing means, who it is confined to and what the "specialists" have to say about it. Here are some names mentioned in the article: Malcolm Forbes, Rock Hudson, Roy Cohn, Perry Ellis, Terry Dolan, Larry Kramer, Barney Frank, Gerry Studds, Thomas Foley, Robert Bray, Armistead Maupin, Gabriel Rotello, Paul...

Richard Rouilard's statements, as quoted by Liz Smith ("Abdication at the Advocate," July 30), that "the editorial staff has received . . . very little support . . . during the period we changed . . ." and that "the Advocate has had a new editor-in-chief nearly every two years since the present owners took over," deserve comment. First, as to support of the editorial department: as editor-in-chief Rouilard cleaned house. He was granted several new editorial staff positions, both in-house and in important national and international cities, and he had influence in the hiring of key positions in the art and advertising departments.