Word of the Gay: "Lance"

To "lance" someone is to force a celebrity to reveal that he or she is gay. The term originates from celebrity singer Lance Bass of N'Sync who came out as gay.

Word of the Gay: "Frank Rule"

The "frank rule" is that a person who uses their power to hurt or deny LGBT people of their civil rights can be outed if they are a closeted gay. The term was coined because this is the stance of U.S. Representative Barney Frank one of three openly gay representatives in the house.

New Movie, Outrage - "We Know What You Did Last Session"

A new movie called Outrage by director Kirby Dick is sure to shake the boots of anti-gay closeted politicians throughtout the United States. The film documents those who have been outed in the past, and even names current U.S. politicians who live a double life, having homosexual sex, while voting against nearly all gay rights measures.

Word of the Gay: "Absolute Code"

The "absolute code" was a rule of thumb in the 50's that you do not expose a fellow gay or lesbian person to their boss or to the press.

Web Spotlight: BlogActive

BlogActive may well be the most important blog on the LGBT rights front. Mike Rogers, a dedicated activist on behalf of the community, posts important action alerts, and is most famous for his "outing" of anti-gay politicians. Some have called him "the most feared man on Capital Hill" and for good reason! Mike has been exposing anti-gay hypocrites like Larry Craig, Mark Foley and others. If there is one site to bookmark, this is definitely it.

In Defense of Outing

The following is a snippet of a long paper I wrote for a Queer studies class, I figured no time like the present to defend my position on outing.

Outing is the act of someone disclosing someone else’s alleged sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent and making it public. The act of outing has been used as a form of revenge, and as a political, social, and emotional tactic to expose truth, and institute awareness and change. The people who are usually targets of outing are generally in a position of power or hold some form of prestige within their respective communities or within the society at large. The tactic of outing has largely been a controversial topic within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. There are different schools of thought that take on the issue with varying degrees of fervor that are in favor, in opposition to outing, or a middle ground choice. People in favor of outing often cite hypocrisy, revenge, and exposure as their main motivation for engaging in the act. People who oppose outing generally feel that the act is unfair, reflects negatively on the queer community and is an insincere motive because it disregards a person’s right to explore and determine their own identity. Opponents of outing feel that it is an unnecessary tactic that does not yield positive results.

As with all political issues, there lies a continuum of opinions on outing within the gay community. I personally believe outing to be a strong and persuasive technique that has and can further be used to foster awareness and create social and political change. I support efforts to out those whom I deem as hypocrites, and by that I mean someone who preaches or votes in opposition to LGBTQ equality and civil rights legislation. On the other hand I am not in favor of outing people who wish to remain private about their own sexuality, while not actively campaigning against or in favor of gay rights. I feel we must work to expose the truth of those who work against us, while keeping silent on those who we suspect to be queer, but do not hold prejudices against us. We must remember the closet where we came from and where others may very well still be struggling with their own individual identities.

I feel that while outing may be controversial for a variety of reasons, it is still an important and useful social and political tactic. I think the positions completely for or against outing are both “radical” and unreasonable. I believe the stance that I take is more of a middle ground and reasonable approach based in logic, as well as sincerity and compassion. I think outing as a general rule needs to be used objectively and subjectively. Individual scenarios and consequences need to be taken into account before action is taken, because every situation is different. I believe in outing hypocrites who speak prejudice, and advocate for discriminatory legislation against the LGBTQ community, while they themselves hide or reject their own homo or transsexuality. I agree whole heartedly with a well known gay African-American activist, Keith Boykin when he says “it doesn’t matter if you’re a preacher, a performer or a politician. Your right to privacy ends when you violate my right to liberty” (Boykin). The people who seek to hurt queer people in my opinion lose their right to privacy. I feel that after one seeks to destroy the rights of others, they effectively should be taken down by using political power and social capital as a weapon of attack.

Breaking News: John McCain's Chief of Staff Being Outed Today!

A reliable source and friend has told Queers United that Mike Rogers of Blog Active, in 30 minutes will present video of the Roy Cohn Award being delivered to Mark Buse, Senator John McCain's Chief of Staff and lobbyist on Capitol Hill who is a closeted gay person.

To hear the outing LIVE tune into The Michelangelo Signorile Show on Sirus Satellite Radio at 2:15 PM EST.

Video below of Mike Rogers delivering the award:




Home video footage of Mark Buse and his former partner:


Thanks to the hard work of Mike Rogers and Michelangelo Signorile for exposing this closeted gay man who is critical in helping anti-gay John McCain rise to power.

Word of the Gay: "Coming Out"

"Coming Out" is a personal as well as sometimes political/symbolic action on the part of sexual and gender minorities. It is about the public expression of ones identity and the desire to live openly, honestly, and without fear. The coming out process is a difficult one and a life-long journey, it is about being true to yourself as well others.

Open Forum: "Outing" as an Activist Tactic?

"Outing" is when someone discloses someone's sexual orientation, when that person has chosen to keep their sexuality a secret. There are those in favor of outing who believe it is morally acceptable to disclose this information if the person (usually in a position of power such as a religious or political figure) speak out against and are damaging to the LGBT community. There are others who believe that anyone who is closeted is ultimately damaging the Queer community, by not being open about who they are, and so they seek to make the public aware of their truth. Those against "outing" feel it is an invasion of privacy and that people are entitled to live their lives in the closet if they so choose.

As with all controversial topics there are a wide range of opinions. What do you think? Is Outing ever OK? Is it helpful or hurtful to the Queer Lib movement?