Comments on: Is It Ever Okay to Out a Closeted Homosexual?

By: Podcast: Is It Ever Ok to Out a Gay Politician? : SistersTalk

Podcast: Is It Ever Ok to Out a Gay Politician? : SistersTalk — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:17:02 +0000

[...] Read the original blog post here. [...]

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:35:51 +0000

I really can’t see that outing anyone is right. Yes, some in the closet people have acted despicably, but acting despicably back just doesn’t seem to be right. I agree with Véronique: The high road seems the better road.

I think there’s too much unknown, too many other people who could get hurt and when I think of how much it would have hurt me to have been outed when I was just too scared to come out myself, I just can’t do that to someone else.

By: Kara Harkins

Kara Harkins — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:45:35 +0000

I would say it depends on the circumstances. If they are harming nobody, then, yes, they have the right to choose what is private and what is public. If they choose to work against other GLBT people then I see no karmic compulsion to protect their secret.

By: tamara (dudess)

tamara (dudess) — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:35:02 +0000

.
it IS a tough question, but it seems as if someone should be judged on their actions, rather than their sexual orientation.
(if someone votes against something, does it really MATTER if they’re gay or not ? ..it doesn’t change the vote)
if they promised to vote one way, beforehand, and didn’t keep the promises, it would seem tempting..
but unforseen circumstances may have changed their ability to KEEP those promises.. and there was no way of knowing this ahead of time that in order to accomplish the higher priorities, they would have to dance to a different tune.
we can’t look into their hearts (only God can-Ghandi), and at the end of the day, they still have to look at themselves in the mirror..
everyone’s hypocritical about SOMETHING (it may be impossible to be OTHERwise).. and outing them may do more damage than not..

so I would have to vote “no. let them wrestle with their OWN demons, as I have plenty of my own to deal with”

(but for the record, I had to think about that one for awhile

By: Genia

Genia — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:47:43 +0000

Don’t miss the SistersTalk Radio episode where we talk about this very issue:

http://tr.im/lhsN

By: jaysays

jaysays — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:49:55 +0000

Although I’m of the opinion (thus far) that it is never ok to out someone, I must say that there is a certainly level of vindication and joy when someone like Ted Haggard gets outed – I just wish I didn’t.

By: polerin

polerin — Thu, 14 May 2009 07:03:05 +0000

I’m conflicted.. and I’m also not sure how much good it does to out someone. I’ve not followed these cases closely, but has any politician outed in such a manner actually turned around and done good?

Even if there are one or two, does this really negate the outpouring of negativity and “See! homosexuals are liars!” outrage that pours out from the constituencies. The voters put these people in office knowing their policy views, and I don’t see them being swayed much by their representative being outed. They’ll just throw another homophobe into play next election and what have we gained other than ruining someone’s life?

By: Véronique

Véronique — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:09:15 +0000

It seems so clear cut: closet case votes against LGBT issues or actively thwarts LGBT rights, so expose him or her. I agree that what they are doing is despicable and hypocritical. Yet I am not omniscient, and I don’t think it’s right or wise for me to put myself in the judgment seat. Someone mentioned the karmic debt. I feel that I have to stay on the high road, even if I think that someone deserves to be exposed.

That said, I won’t judge anyone else who believes or acts differently. I am all in favour of fighting for social justice, and we each have our own ways of doing this.

By: Nick Dupree

Nick Dupree — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:05:32 +0000

I gotta go with the “Frank Rule” on this one, I believe in it strongly.

“I think there’s a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn’t then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves.” — Rep. Barney Frank