How to Understand the Ethics of Outing Someone

In the early 1990s, gay writer Michelangelo Signorile brought the idea of "outing" into public debate. While many gays and lesbians disapprove of outing - that is, the process of making someone's sexual orientation known to the public without his or her permission - others believe it is appropriate in some situations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• " ""Queer in America"" by Michelangelo Signorile"
• """Contested Closets"" by Larry Gross "

1. Keep in mind that many people see a big difference between outing someone who is in the public eye and outing a so-called "regular" person. Public figures lose some of their privacy, some say, and U.S. law agrees.
2. Outing a public figure is especially acceptable, these people argue, if the person has spoken out against homosexuality. By outing such a person, you are exposing his or her hypocrisy.
3. Bringing the sexual orientation of a regular person to the attention of others seems acceptable to few people - because both common sense and the law support the fact that we all have a right to be left alone.
4. Being in the closet is morally wrong for a gay person, many people believe, and so these people think exposing someone's sexual orientation is really doing them the favor of saving them from the inner turmoil of hiding.
5. Being openly gay - whether by choice or by outing - can be physically dangerous in some situations, however, so in extreme cases outing can endanger someone's life.
6. Being an activist for gay and lesbians causes is not a requirement for being gay, and being out forces people into some degree of activism. Some gays and lesbians prefer semi-out lives - or even closeted lives - lived in private.
7. Putting your nose is someone else's business is simply wrong, some contend, while others say the public has a right to know who's gay and who isn't.

Tips & Warnings

• Michelangelo Signorile's book "Queer in America" is a good resource on this issue. "Contested Closets" by Larry Gross makes a great companion book. It gathers material from many sources and puts the issue in a historical context.