Not only was this one better attended than any to which I've been previously --Y´so much larger that it had to be held in the Massachusetts House chamber -- but it was also as warmly entertaining and affirming as any event I've attended in recent memory.

It was an historic occasion on its face since Mills was being sworn in by Swift as an unabashedly gay man taking a seat on the Court of Appeals -- no small feat for anyone, but a milestone for those of us who remember the time when gay men appeared before judges rather than as judges.

But the event was made even more remarkable by the number and kinds of people who packed the standing-room-only House chamber to the rafters. Straight and gay, old and young (including a chorus from Danvers High School, a town where Mills has acted as Town Moderator), the powerful and not-so-powerful -- it was clear from the assemblage that Mills is a man who's cut a wide swath in his climb to prestige -- and who has managed to do it not by kicking those on the ladder below him, but rather by being someone whom all who meet him can love and admire without hesitation.

And it was clear on that day that Mills returns that love openly and without embarrassment or secrets. I've no doubt that this was the first time an Appeals Court judge was sworn in, and then stepped to the podium to say, ``I want to come out there and hug every single one of you!" And I really believe he wanted to do that very thing.

A friend of Mills' spoke from the podium about how he, a straight man, had not so long ago quietly urged Mills to come to terms with being gay -- that he was loved just as much, if not more, despite his inner questioning. Mills also told of how he began to accept that advice -- and how that acceptance of himself finally freed him to give back fully to those who loved him.

It was one of the most touching public statements I've witnessed -- one that brought cheers from his admirers.

Jane Swift made an excellent, noble choice when she chose David Mills. Her comfort with him, and the easy banter she displayed at the event, spoke volumes about where she is on gay issues. But, more important than that, she and everyone else in Massachusetts is fortunate that David Mills accepted her offer and made the state judiciary the next repository of the wisdom that has gotten him so far without sacrificing the empathetic qualities that make so many of you out there reading this far better human beings for having endured your time working through this society's issues around sex and intimacy.

Congratulations, David. May you be the example you've been to others thus far for much, much longer on the bench.