So in case you were busy shopping for milk, bread and rock salt this weekend (really?), you may have missed that a gay journalist kinda-sorta-maybe outed anti-gay GOP Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois.
Former CBS News correspondent Itay Hod posted a long note on his Facebook page which never mentions Schock by name but poses a hypothetical that describes the Congressman, then links to an AmericaBlog story about how Schock has “one of the gayest Instagram account on the Web,” which has since been locked down and set to private.
Rumors have been swirling about the 32-year-old Schock’s sexuality for some time, both due to chatter among supposed Washington insiders and to the Congressman’s proclivity to shed his shirt in public.
Some also say Schock’s anti-gay record (against marriage equality, against repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, against protections for same-sex bi-national couples, 0 percent HRC rating, etc.) is a smokescreen to hide his sexuality. But the talk went into overdrive after Hod’s post went live, where he explains his reasons why Schock should be outed:
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?
The post has spurred another round in the debate about outing anti-gay politicians. GA Voice isn’t here to weigh in on whether Schock is gay or not. We’re more concerned with what you think about the following point by Hod:
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.
All of us had to come out at some point (and many of you may still be closeted) so we’re all sensitive to the issue of being outed. But what if a public figure is actively inflicting harm on the LGBT community from their spot inside the closet? We’re putting it to you.
If GA Voice came across solid information about an anti-gay Georgia politician being gay, should we report on it. Let us know in the comments if
A) Yes, they should be exposed for their hypocrisy.
B) No, it is never right to out people under any circumstance. Everyone should have the right to come out in their own time.