Should Closeted Gays Be Exposed?

A few of the stories in the recent posts highlighted how individuals were outed to help them in the coming out process: friends and/or family members told other people to "help them along." To someone in the closet regarding his or her sexual orientation, the biggest fear is the exposure of the secret. This is known as "being outed.” Simply the fear of being outed has sent more than a few individuals back into the closet.

The rise of outing people partially occurred in the 1980s in response to the AIDS epidemic, particularly when "closeted" individuals worked against the best interests of the LGBT community.

Much of the current debate, and one which the paparazzi feeds on, is the fascination the general public has with people's sexuality. Adam Lambert is a very recent example of this. Throughout his time on "American Idol" questions about his sexuality were raised not only on individual blogs but also in the mainstream press. The recent Rolling Stones article highlights the culmination of the process where Adam Lambert responds to the ongoing reaction. The dilemma raises the question of whether or not a public person like this has a "right" to privacy.

The biggest reason against outing others is their right to privacy. When a person is outed his or her privacy and freedom to chose the method of coming out is violated. In the first article in this series, I highlighted how the coming out process is a personal process that should reflect the individual’s needs. Outing ruptures this process and can interfere with his or her personal growth.

One of the justifications for outing people, so the argument goes, is because of hypocrisy. For example, in 2006, Ted Haggert was publically outed for same-sex behavior with a sex worker. At the same time, Ted Haggert was the senior pastor at a fundamentalist church that was outspokenly anti-gay and openly hostile to the gay community. The argument is that because of the hypocrisy, he deserved to be outed. Haggert is but one example, and the list could continue.

What are you opinions about outing people? Have you been outed? What was the outcome?

(Photo: Getty Images)

---

Dr. Weston Edwards is a psychologist licensed by the Minnesota Board of Psychology. He specializes in individual, couple and group counseling and has specific experiences working with sexuality, spirituality, chemical dependency and mental-health issues. He is in private practice at the Sexual Health Institute Dr. Edwards is also on staff at the Pride Institute providing sexuality and chemical dependency treatment for the LGBT community. His first book “Living a Life I Love™: Healing sexual compulsivity, sexual addiction, sexual avoidance and other sexual concerns is now available. You can also reach him on Twitter at @wedwardsphd.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.