The Practice of ‘Outing’ Draws Fire

Your story on outing was a thought-provoking, well-written piece. It brought up many good points, pro and con, and showed how complex an issue this practice really is. I would just like to add my two cents.

First, we must remember that outing is usually reserved for public figures (role models), so we are not speaking about outing John Doe who lives down the street.

Each instance of outing has to be and must be judged on its own. I personally do not know how much is gained by outing entertainers. While these people are role models, they are not policy makers. Also, part of their cover most likely includes children, and who wants to hurt children?

However, if we are speaking of politicians, we are addressing a whole new ballgame. I agree the closet is a personal thing, so if a politician is in the closet and they are voting for increased AIDS funding, that is fine with me. If they are in the closet and voting against AIDS funding, look out. These people are our elected officials, and this is just simply bad policy.

GREG CARLISLE

ACT/UP L.A.

Fund-raising Committee