Urge to Out someone

[Lex]

Generally, outing someone is unacceptable. That said, "when you tell your own secrets, no one can hold them over you."

The only time I feel that the issue is not cut and dry is when it's about outing someone who is working on the side of a political agenda to deny gay people civil rights, like when those gay bloggers outed closeted gay Republicans who were working on campaigns to deny gay people the right to marry and other civil rights. There was a string of those about 5 years ago, and I'm personally torn on that. I don't want to be hyperbolic, but it's sort of like revealing that a Neo-Nazi is hiding his own Jewish heritage. Honestly, I'm unsure if it's right or wrong to do that.

I have thought this exact same thing over the years.

they do what they do to get elected or because they believe it
if they believe what they are voting for why should it matter if they are gay or not...
outting them is just a way to attack them

Having secret sex and not admitting to it is VASTLY different from doing so and then using political position and influence to openly oppress and discriminate against a group of people with whom you share orientation, among other things.

Outing closeted political figures who are gay and demean gay people is not attacking them; rather, it is exposing their duplicitous and hypocritical message.

 

[Viking_UK]

Having been outed, I'm still against it. It worked out fine for me - I was on the verge of coming out anyway, and it just made it easier for me in some ways. However, I was lucky. Being outed can destroy your life.

Saying that, I agree with some of the other posters that when a political figure, or anyone in public life for that matter, is campaigning against gay rights and liberties, while engaging in gay sex behind closed doors, they're fair game. I don't see that as outing per se. It's more about exposing the person's hypocrisy than their sexual preferences.

And just in case there's any confusion, if a public/political figure is quite happy in the closet and isn't being hypocritical about gay issues, they have every right to stay there until they're ready to come out, just like any of the rest of us.