outing people

[Pix]

Does anyone else feel that outing people, in many cases, isn't a big deal? Like if there's a really flamboyant guy who is obviously gay but uncomfortably pretends to be straight just to fit in, isn't it cool to say something that amounts to, "look, man, if you're gay and you know it flap your hands. It's okay and we'll always look out for you."

So what you're actually asking is "is it ok to privately offer support to someone you believe is gay." Sure. But that's not outing someone.

And I used to be all the way out (save in Texas), but it made life hard. It not only made life hard for me but also for children I care for. So there are good reasons other than "internal homophobia" to be in the closet. The world SHOULD accept us like it accepts left handed people (and btw, left handed people were once persecuted by church and state, too). But it's stupid to live in the world that SHOULD be when we actually live in the world that IS. And outing someone can potentially cost someone their job (it's legal to fire someone for being gay in most states, IIRC), their family and support structure, and even endanger their lives. That's why you have to let them decide which is better based on their individual circumstances, not decide for them.