To the good people here I have offended or insulted with this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2408162&mesg_id=2408162I apologize.
I did not realize that I was being insulting or offensive when I posted this. As is often the case, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And I assure you, my intentions were good. I must say I have learned a great deal about this problem from the responses to my post.
There were many good arguments why it is ok to out someone who is secretly homosexual, but I am still unconvinced that is an ethical action. And it is not because I see homosexuals differently. It is because I see closet homosexuals differently. I see these people as victims of a discriminating society. They believe it is necessary for their own personal reasons that their homosexuality not be public knowledge. I could never bring myself to out anyone as something in my heart tells me this is wrong. Even if a person was not a friend, someone who even may have harmed me in some way, and I were to discover they were secretly gay, I could not bring myself to use that information in a way that they felt was against them. Even if I believed it was for a person's own good, I would not expose them. They have their own individual reasons for keeping their secret and they should be allowed to explore the time and manner for their coming out.
I now realize declaring outing as wrongful tactic can contribute the discrimination and 'homophobia'. Believe me friends, if I were homophobic, I would likely not post here on DU or lobby for causes for equality for homosexuals, especially with regard for gay marriage. But using the tactic of outing someone can be perceived as mean spirited and socially incorrect (even if society is in and of itself, incorrect). Politically, there could be backlash if we engage in this sort of campaign.
I believe that to end the discrimination our society exhibits against gays the answer is not in engaging in hurtful campaigns, but instead, working positively to change our society to respect individuals for who they are. I fear that we won't win anyone's respect by outing individuals for political gain.