Uncertain

BlogActive: Real Truth, Fun Action

I don't quite know how I feel about this site, but I thought others should know about it, as the media is covering it--usually without giving readers the site's address. That's probably because they don't approve of what the site's owner is doing.

He's outing people on Congressional staffs. If a gay person works for a Senator or Representative who supports the Federal Marriage Amendment, Mike Rogers is making his knowledge of their sexuality, gleaned from years as an active participant in the D.C. gay community, known to everyone who will listen. See?

As I said, I don't quite know what to make of this. In theory, I think it's fine to be in or out at work, at your discretion; clearly, it helps the cause of gay equality if more people come out, but each of us, first and foremost, has a responsibility to ourselves to do whatever makes our workplace the most comfortable. I, for one, don't engage in any pronoun shifting, and if someone asks about my weekend, I'm honest about it: Brad and I went here, Brad and I visited there, Brad and I saw a movie. If people get it, they get it, and I'm pretty sure most do; if they're happier not getting it, well, I leave them the option. I don't beat them over the head, but I don't lie.

But I'm not walking the halls of Congress, with the potential to influence the decisions of men and women who will decide whether gays and lesbians will be treated like everyone else or relegated to second-class citizenship in America. If I were, I wouldn't consider myself honest if I didn't disclose this fact of my life to my employer and argue passionately against the FMA.

Which means, I suppose, that I have to support Mike Rogers, even if I think what he's doing is ugly and may ultimately give our cause a black eye. In fairness to Rogers, and to others who agree with him, it's not like the people being outed haven't known this could happen. They've been warned again and again, and they've lived their lives under the constant shadow of possibility that they could be recognized at a gay club or bar. For their sake, I hope some kind-hearted Democrats hire all of them after their current masters, in all likelihood, fire them. But this is not a fight we can lose, and their choice of silence in the face of hate is a luxury we can no longer afford.