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Discussion Post
An outing is a term used to describe the disclosure of someones gender identity or sexual orientation, usually by the media, without their permission. The practice has been used numerous times, and despite its obviously intrusive nature has gained some support from the LGBT activists. While the opponents of outing stress the privacy breach and shaming as primary concerns, the advocates of the practice state that it can be used to uncover hypocrisy and thus gain an advantage over influential figures.
The recent example is the outing of the Reverend Matthew Makela, an associate pastor of St. Johns Lutheran Church. The screenshots provided by an anonymous source show Makela sending text messages and pictures that clearly suggest his homosexuality. Matthew confirmed that the material was genuine, but has refused to comment (Tracer, 2015). The outing has since led to the churchs authorities expelling Makela on the basis of the sinful life he was hiding.
The case is further complicated by the Makelas open stance against homosexuality. Prior to the disclosure, he had posted several statements on his Facebook page as well as some dedicated sites, in which he had compared homosexuality to alcoholism, suggested the dangers to society posed by transsexuals, and otherwise openly declared his opposition. In other words, while the act of disclosing other persons sexuality is a clear breach of their privacy, it also provides insights into the hypocritical nature of the suggestions by some groups. Makelas case is not the first of its kind, as several instances of outings of clergymen have undermined the credibility of principles upheld by the church.
Blog Post
Ultimately, outing is an attempt to use the background information to test the validity of claims made by some individuals regarding sexual orientation in general. For instance, a person who is known to be an opponent of same-sex marriages and promotes heterosexual values as absolute has much more credibility when found out to be a homosexual. This technique is embraced by some activist groups, who believe that outing is a just process, as it shows the complete picture rather than the preferred selective version.
As such, outing should not target private citizens but focus on public figures. According to them, this excludes the privacy issue, as such people are already in the center of the media attention. Additionally, the proponents state that outing should focus on people who harm the community, not just spy on anyone who would make a catchy headline. In this way, according to them, outing serves the just cause. However, there are several issues with their argument.
First, neither the unlawful nor unethical practices can be justified with just cause. In essence, no matter how you wrap a privacy breach, it is still an issue. Even if it eventually leads to a positive outcome, that does not make it less questionable. Second, by drawing media attention to the sexuality of their opponents, the LGBT activists essentially use the same practice they try to eradicate. Fighting enemies with their own weapons sound good only when it does not promote the issue you are trying to address.
Finally, and most importantly, the outing inevitably uses media as its instrument. The power of media nowadays is such that the consequences of outing may eventually surpass the expected results, with dramatic effects for the intended as well as unintended subjects. The case of Makela clearly shows how the shaming led to massive hostility against him as well as the church. Other examples include Jahna Erica Steele, a model who was fired as a result of the outing by a tabloid, and numerous instances of cyberbullying that have become more frequent with the rise of the Web.
References
Tracer, D. (2015). Grindr screenshots reveal antigay pastor is a top who likes to cuddle.
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