To the Editor:

Re “Hate Is So Much Bigger Than Trump” (Aug. 11):

Reading Frank Bruni’s column was painful. The engineer who presumes to diagnose Mr. Bruni’s eye disease as being the result of his sexual orientation or the college teacher who contends that because of Mr. Bruni’s homosexuality his columns “ c annot be read with the belief that they are impartial” are clouding hate in the verbiage of religiosity and holy concern.

I am a straight 65-year-old man who will continue to read and learn from Mr. Bruni’s columns. They are informative and enlightening, and I look forward to seeing them in The Times.

I consider Mr. Bruni to be one of my teachers, and I am grateful to have him in my life.

Ben Miles

Huntington Beach, Calif.

To the Editor:

I was so saddened to read about Frank Bruni’s worsening eye condition, and the response by a reader who can so smugly, so callously pass judgment on him. I appreciate his making public this hatefulness directed toward him as I think it accurately reflects the ongoing fight for dignity for the L.G.B.T.+ community and, more generally, all minorities.