OVO

Trevor Blake: Outing [LINK-ZUM]

When a person has a private habit that harms/benefits only themselves and those who make informed decisions to be involved, it's just plain nobody else's business. If those same people have a private habit that they keep private - even if they make public statements that they don't have the private habits - they may be hypocrites but it is still their own business. There are sometimes very good reasons to tell lies about what one does... 'no, there are no Jews hidden in our attic...' But when a person has a private habit, makes public statements against that private habit, and uses political power to attempt to prevent others from enjoying that habit, I think outing is an appropriate response.

Congressman Ed Schrock (R-VA-2) didn't support the 'don't ask, don't tell' law. Not because he wanted the U. S. Military to openly accept homosexuals, but because he wanted the U. S. Military to ask soldiers about their sex lives and therefore keep them from serving. He also signed on as a co-sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment. Those are the public statements and public activities. The private habit that deserves outing is that Congressman Schrock is gay.

Ralph Reed is a former head of the Christian Coalition. He currently serves as Southeast regional chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign. He has mobilized Christian churches and preachers to oppose Native American casinos. But while he was speaking out against the vice of gambling in public, he received US$1.25 million in 'consulting fees' from a front group, who in turn were paid by one particular Native American casino that didn't want any more competition.

I really don't care if someone is gay or if they gamble. I don't care if they do these things and lie about them. But when they do these things, lie about them and then use political power to prevent others from doing them, outing is appropriate.

[American Samizdat, September 5 2004. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity, sex, television, theocracy

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