The Media & Outing Members of Congress

From the Facebook page of journalist Itay Hod:

people always say, no one has the right to out anyone. that coming out is a private matter. i disagree. as you can imagine, not a very popular opinion. but bear with me.

here's a hypothetical: what if you know a certain GOP congressman, let's just say from Illinois, is gay... and you know this because one of your friends, a journalist for a reputable network, told you in no uncertain terms that he caught that GOP congressman and his male roommate in the shower... together. now they could have been good friends just trying to conserve water. but there's more. what if this congressman has also been caught by tmz cameras trolling gay bars. now what if you know that this very same guy, the darling of the gop, has also voted against repeal of don’t ask don’t tell, opposed the repeal of doma, is against gay marriage; and for the federal marriage amendment, which would add language to the us constitution banning gay marriage and would likely strike down every gay rights law and ordinance in the country?

Are we still not allowed to out him?

let me ask another question... doesn't the media have an OBLIGATION to expose his hypocrisy? if he had done something so hypocritical and he wasn't gay, wouldn't we demand journalists do their job? but they can't... because we won't let them. you're not allowed to out ANYONE, we tell them.

we've created a situation where even though news organizations know this guy is gay, they can't report it because he hasn't said so on twitter.

if we keep saying that being gay is genetic; ergo, it's no different than having blue eyes or blonde hair... than why are not allowed to mention it? why do we need anyone's consent to talk about their sexuality? are we not allowed to say someone has blue eyes until they post a fb message telling us they are in fact blue?

we've been so effective at convincing everyone that outing people is a crime against humanity, that we've made it impossible for any network or news organization to talk about this "hypothetical" gay republican congressman and his hypocritical vote against gay rights. they won't touch it for fear of retribution from GLAAD or HRC. (in fact when my friend's network interviewed said hypothetical republican, he talked about wanting to find a nice woman to marry... and the network aired it... knowing it was a lie...

so, forgive me if I don't subscribe to the notion that you're not allowed to out anyone... in fact in some cases, i'd celebrate it. but I'm crazy that way. Herndon Graddick

by the way... not sure why... but had a sudden urge to share this.

"This" is a link to an Americablog page that, among other things, shows some of the "gayest" images from the Instagram page of Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL). The Instagram page has since been made private (though the images are still on Americablog, hurray for screencaps). Schock has been more or less dogged by rumours of his sexual orientation despite - or perhaps in part because of - his very anti-gay legislative record. He has been given a 0% score by the Human Rights Campaign.

I have said time and again that I am against people (and more so public figures) being outed...unless you are outing their hypocrisy. In that case, have at it.

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL): Still Not Gay

From Huffington Post:

...Schock had in fact stated to Details magazine in 2009 that he is not gay, in a lengthy piece which noted that he is unmarried and had been the subject of rumors as far back as 2004, when he was asked the question by a Chicago newspaper

The rumors, however, have only surfaced again and again since 2009, such as when Schock wore a flamboyant outfit -- which included white jeans, a hot pink gingham shirt and a teal belt -- to the White House picnic in June of 2010, immediately reigniting widespread Internet speculation and discussion about his sexual orientation. (After the online frenzy, Schock tweeted that he had “burned the belt.”)

The rumors blew up again when Schock posed shirtless on the cover of Men’s Health in May of 2011, showing off his well-defined abs, as well as being photographed in various poses inside the magazine, promoting health and fitness. And it didn’t help quell the rumors when, last week in Tampa, Fla., while he was attending the Republican National Convention, TMZ descended upon Schock as he was walking through the gay neighborhood of the city, complete with rainbow flags in the background as well as stores selling skimpy men’s underwear and what some have said is a local gay bathhouse. 

TMZ.com reported that Schock was exiting a Chuck Todd-sponsored event for youth when its interviewer caught up with Schock to ask if he had fashion advice for fit and trim Paul Ryan, who has been criticized by style experts for wearing suits that are too baggy. “I think Paul's in great shape,” Schock told TMZ. “I think a little bit of leaner attire to help accentuate that physique he works so hard to, you know, maintain....”

 

For the record, I personally don't know if Rep. Schock is gay...and I hope he isn't. I have already seen far too many people who have homophobic voting records end up being outed as LGBT. Every time it happens (I'm looking at you former Senator Larry Craig), I feel betrayed, like I was thrown under a bus just so some self-hater could get some power. I would rather not have such a one in the LGBT ranks. The fewer Benedict Arnolds we have, the better.

If he ends up actually being gay, he will be a pariah on both sides. Social conservatives and many Republicans along with pro-gay people would see him as an untrustworthy liar and a traitor. I'm not sure he could live that down.