Pushing Them Out of the Closet

Even before AIDS became a serious problem, homosexuals suffered discrimination in jobs and many other arenas. The epidemic has made the problem even worse. Because of this, a compelling argument has been made that privacy is essential, even with AIDS testing. That makes the growing practice of “outing” all the more puzzling.

Outing is a tactic by which gay activists deliberately reveal the identity of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals who are public figures but have kept their sexual preferences private. These well-known people are, in effect, thrown out of the closet. Many reasons are given for outing, among them gay activists’ frustration with prominent gays who stay in the closet when they could be helping the AIDS-ravaged community, and disgust with the hypocrisy of persons who are secretly gay engaging publicly in gay-bashing. Some gays are persuaded that outings can help society to recognize the true dimensions of the gay and lesbian population. The hope is that this might lead to greater acceptance of homosexuality.

Hypocrisy is, of course, to be lamented. And it’s certainly true that society as a whole could be doing a lot more in the cause of AIDS research and treatment. But because homosexuality is still not widely accepted, outing is wrong, whether it is done by a fellow gay or anyone else. Sexual privacy isn’t just to protect gays in a society that doesn’t fully accept them. It’s a basic right for all adults, unless there is some compelling and overriding issue of character of public concern--say, in a public official’s behavior. And who’s to decide who gets an outing? A gay playwright who advocates outing said he wouldn’t threaten to reveal the homosexuality of “a schoolteacher or someone like that” but justified such a practice with celebrities.

The decision to go public with one’s homosexuality should remain a personal one. While some public figures have taken the step and suffered no severe repercussions, others have suffered a lot. Until such a time as gays are fully accepted in mainstream society, the decision to share one’s sexual orientation must remain with the individual. Others should mind their own business.