Feel Outraged?: New Movie Raises Controversy, Outs Politicians
By L. K. Regan Published May 15, 2009
A new documentary film is making waves in Washington and around the country. That's because Outrage, by Academy Award-nominated director Kirby Dick, both defends the practice of outing secretly gay politicians, and attempts to make a case for suspecting several current political figures of being less than honest about their sexuality. As a result, Outrage is both a study of and participant in the recent practice of pursuing politicians believed to be guilty of sexual hypocrisy, and it poses serious questions about the limits of privacy for public figures.
Outrage is a defense of the practice of outing politicians who pursue anti-gay political agendas while they privately seek out gay sexual relationships. Director Kirby Dick (whose other major work, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, takes on the movie ratings system) attempts to reveal the, as he calls it, "brilliant conspiracy" that shelters these politicians while denying the LGBT community basic civil rights. The argument of hypocrisy is made by several figures in the film, but primarily by Michael Rogers, a blogger who outed Senator Larry Craig (whose story figures large in the film) and Republican National Committee Field Director Dan Gurley. The history and controversies of coming out and getting outed for gay political figures is discussed in commentary from such prominent gay figures as Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank, and blogger Andrew Sullivan. Footage of New Jersey Governor James McGreevey lets viewers see an outed politician reflect on the effect the experience had on his life and career.
Yet all of these elements unfold within a film that is itself a large-scale act of outing. Outrage's controversy is not rooted in its allegations about Idaho Senator Larry Craig, whose toe-tapping bathroom antics are the stuff of legend. The movie goes on to make allegations about several currently or recently serving politicians who have continuously denied any suggestions that they are gay. The list includes Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Congressman David Dreier of California, newly retired Louisiana Senator Jim McCrery, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, among others. All of these are figures who have consistently advanced an anti-gay political agenda.
In naming names and making a detailed case against each of these men, Outrage uncomfortably pits the gay community's dislike of the practice of outing against the costs of hypocrisy in politicians whose active pursuit of an anti-gay agenda, director Kirby Dick theorizes, is key to maintaining their closeted life fiction. Out them, he suggests, and they will no longer feel the need to do so much harm to the gay community in order to hide their own shameful secret. For Kirby Dick, clearly, they have brought this exposure upon themselves. As Barney Frank succinctly puts it in the film, "There is a right to privacy; there is no right to hypocrisy." Viewers will have to decide for themselves where they stand on the individual allegations and the question of the moral defense of outing in general.
Outrage is opening only in select cities; check here to see if yours is among them. Want a taste of what you'll be seeing? Watch the trailer!
I don't have issue with the movie. In fact, I think we should take it further and move towards creating a media voice to expose all hypocrits. This isn't an issue of outing, it's an issue of hypocrisy. Expose them all, the gays and straights.
That is sooooooo silly for other people to "out" others not counting tghe disrespect. Isn't that just like some of typical Queens to try and ecide what is good for them is good for everyone else. I have lived in several major cities and it reminds me so much of "The Bar Queens and games they play. It makes me SICK. I don't hid myself and if someone knows fine but it is my life and not the decision for someone else to make. Gays like this are no better and in a way worse than the gay bashers. Aren't they doing the same thing but just in a different way. They should get a life of their own and accept a persons own choich for themselves. I don't want any part of this type of gay crowd. When i wa syounger I was one of the better bartenders in Houston and it just reminds me of some of those bar flies who didn't have anything better to do in life.
I don't know how we can make it any simpler to you apologists: If a private person is Gay and doesn't like Gays or bieng Gay, that's one thing. If that Gay person enacts legislation to deny Gays equal rights under the law while being paid by taxpayer dollars, they are no longer a private person... they are a public figure. It is our DUTY to point out their inconsistent actions for the social and legal hypocrisy that they are! There are no rights to privacy in the political arena. As long as a person is a publicly-paid politician or a legislator, they give up certain rights to privacy that the average citizen takes for granted, and it is the duty of the free press, and the citizenry to expose such actions that are hypocritical. PERIOD.
Thank Goodness for those respondents are respectful enough of other people's private lives that they comment about Out Rage as being ridiculous. While I am not a politician, I managed to hurt people by living a dual life. I was outed by someone that I hurt. I suppose there is justice in the eye for an eye philosophy. However, I for one, do not believe it is my right or privilege to expose someone just for the sake of revenge and equal treatment under the law. Can't we all just mind our own business? Political views and being gay are two different issues in people's minds. If I am a smoker, yet support non-smoking ordinances does that make it right to inflict personal pain on me for not being "congruent." If I am a Catholic/Protestant who believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible , is it not possible for me to support legislation that would allow abortion? Should I be punished for not being congruent in my beliefs and actions? I think there are many gays who do not support gay marriage, but would rather simply support general acceptance of gay relationships. Should these people not be in elected positions unless they shared their bedroom preferences? These may be weak examples to make the point here, but alas, I ask....Why can't we be tolerant of each other and not let political views and actions be a reason we should OUT someone. If you don't like a person's political agenda, vote them out of office, don't cast stones to inflict personal harm. Let's all learn to live out lives and not seek ways to judge, lest we be judged.
Imagine this is you will. A Black man in politics, who obviously can't hide the fact that he's black, but secretly and actively politically lobbies against his own community. That black politician should be "outed" to his community and removed from office. It's the same to me if a closeted gay man keeps his sexuality hidden and actively lobbies against the gay community. Out him (or her) and also remove him from public office.
A guy who has gay sex but is in a position to, and does, keep gay rights bill from being passed, is a hypocrite and does not deserve the trust of the people. He should be removed from office and all information relating to his "gaydom" should be made public so that he can become an outcast like he was helping to keep the rest of us! I have been gay all my life but because of fear I have been forced to hide my feelings and live a life that is devoid of any "real" friendship. It is probably to late for me, but if anyone out there is in the same position as I was when I was young reads this, they should try to make others aware of their feelings so they may have the chance for happiness that I have been forced to deny myself and the possible mate that I "should" have been able to have. I will leave you with this thought only, Why should who you have sex with, be anybody's business but yours and your partners.
A guy who has gay sex but is in a position to, and does, keep gay rights bill from being passed, is a hypocrite and does not deserve the trust of the people. He should be removed from office and all information relating to his "gaydom" should be made public so that he can become an outcast like he was helping to keep the rest of us! I have been gay all my life but because of fear I have been forced to hide my feelings and live a life that is devoid of any "real" friendship. It is probably to late for me, but if anyone out there is in the same position as I was when I was young reads this, they should try to make others aware of their feelings so they may have the chance for happiness that I have been forced to deny myself and the possible mate that I "should" have been able to have. I will leave you with this thought only, Why should who you have sex with, be anybody's business but yours and your partners.
tuffguyndc wrote: "I never understood why people felt the need to out someone no matter what the circumstances were. I see why the gay, and lesbian have some many problems. We don't even respect each other how in the hell can you expect others to respect us."
Has the thought ever occurred to you and those that agree with you that when these closeted politicians block gay equal rights or enact laws that deny gay equal rights that they don't respect us as equal citizens? No wonder we "see why the gay, and lesbian have so many problems."
The hypocrisy they discuss is obviously worthy of exposure. But I'm not going to spend ten dollars and two hours sitting in a dark theater with dozens of other filmgoers self-congratulating on how right WE are and how wrong THEY are.
Although I might simply have been too distracted by the trailer's use of Chopin's Op. 64 No. 2. to pay attention to the film they were promoting. :-)
I was at the Stonewall 25 Celebration in NYC, in Central Park. We were all gathered on the big lawn, listening to Liza Minelli performing up on the stage. One guy sat down next to me and asked if he could take a hit or two off the joint I was smoking. He was a very fat man, nude, older, white, lots of body hair, and basically not particularly attractive. Anyway, we're sharing this joint, we were chatting, and I asked him what he did for a living, and he told me he was a congressman (or maybe a United States Senator) down in D.C. I told him I was from the D.C. area (at that time, anyway). I asked him if he was a Democrat or a Libertarian, and he acted shocked, and said he was a Republican. I said that it was nice to see some support within a party that was not normally known for it's tolerance of Gays. He continued to be offended, and said he would, as a good Republican, never support Gay issues. I was very put off by that, and asked him what he was doing there at this event, naked, and smoking my pot? He responded that we Gays always have the best parties, and that there was no other way to find cute guys to play with or good pot to smoke, or being able to be naked in a sea of other hot, sweaty, naked people, and that this was a rare opportunity to "be himself" as he put it! I was just stunned! But I took the joint back and told him to find some other sucker.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..." Propogating violence and discrimination against a minority for personal profit and power is wrong and needs to be exposed by any and all tactics available, even "OUTING". Living a double life on the "down-low" is the depth of hypocrisy. This type of hypocrisy hurts and even kills many REAL people.... family, friends and co-workers, etc and is an unacceptable trade of "the one" for "the many". If you are an anti-gay politician, in danger of being "outed"....."get out of the kitchen if you can't stand the heat".....OUTING, in this situation, is an acceptable form of "educating the masses" about their political representative.
If anyone persecutes, demeans, or spouts anti-gay rhetoric while pretending to be straight while they are in fact gay, then YES go ahead and out them. After nearly 1700 years of state/church sponsored persecution of Homosexuals it is time we fight back. What better weapon than truth and freedom of speech.
I have to agree with tuffguyndc. This movie is nothing more than your standard "I'm out so they should be too" rhetoric. Most of us have lived a double life at some point in time, so how is it within our power to cast judgement on them for doing the same? We live in a republic, we have the ability to vote these people out of office. If you don't like what they vote for, then put it out there, make it well known, go about getting them out of office the right way, not out of the closet the wrong way.
U know, I try not to get caught up in stuff like this but when I saw this article I had to respond to it. I think that this movie is rediculous. I never understood why people felt the need to out someone no matter what the circumstances were. I see why the gay, and lesbian have some many problems. We don't even respect each other how in the hell can you expect others to respect us. I really get upset when others feel they have the right to judge someone else and there actions. People get a clue everyone comes out eventually and it is usually when they are comfortable with themselves and others. I think this movie is just another embarrassement to gay,bi, and lesbian people as a whole.
kinetic wrote:
I STILL KNOW!
May 24 9:02 PM
Looknrnd wrote:
I don't have issue with the movie. In fact, I think we should take it further and move towards creating a media voice to expose all hypocrits. This isn't an issue of outing, it's an issue of hypocrisy. Expose them all, the gays and straights.
May 22 10:40 PM
1on1 wrote:
That is sooooooo silly for other people to "out" others not counting tghe disrespect. Isn't that just like some of typical Queens to try and ecide what is good for them is good for everyone else. I have lived in several major cities and it reminds me so much of "The Bar Queens and games they play. It makes me SICK. I don't hid myself and if someone knows fine but it is my life and not the decision for someone else to make. Gays like this are no better and in a way worse than the gay bashers. Aren't they doing the same thing but just in a different way. They should get a life of their own and accept a persons own choich for themselves. I don't want any part of this type of gay crowd. When i wa syounger I was one of the better bartenders in Houston and it just reminds me of some of those bar flies who didn't have anything better to do in life.
Gay in Nashville
May 22 1:41 AM
zeebyaboi wrote:
I don't know how we can make it any simpler to you apologists:
If a private person is Gay and doesn't like Gays or bieng Gay, that's one thing.
If that Gay person enacts legislation to deny Gays equal rights under the law while being paid by taxpayer dollars, they are no longer a private person... they are a public figure. It is our DUTY to point out their inconsistent actions for the social and legal hypocrisy that they are! There are no rights to privacy in the political arena. As long as a person is a publicly-paid politician or a legislator, they give up certain rights to privacy that the average citizen takes for granted, and it is the duty of the free press, and the citizenry to expose such actions that are hypocritical.
PERIOD.
May 21 3:41 PM
cybertalk wrote:
The constitutional right to privacy must come first. This invasion will cause a major problem.
Dennis
May 20 2:34 AM
tadpolenbr2 wrote:
Thank Goodness for those respondents are respectful enough of other people's private lives that they comment about Out Rage as being ridiculous. While I am not a politician, I managed to hurt people by living a dual life. I was outed by someone that I hurt. I suppose there is justice in the eye for an eye philosophy. However, I for one, do not believe it is my right or privilege to expose someone just for the sake of revenge and equal treatment under the law. Can't we all just mind our own business? Political views and being gay are two different issues in people's minds. If I am a smoker, yet support non-smoking ordinances does that make it right to inflict personal pain on me for not being "congruent." If I am a Catholic/Protestant who believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible , is it not possible for me to support legislation that would allow abortion? Should I be punished for not being congruent in my beliefs and actions? I think there are many gays who do not support gay marriage, but would rather simply support general acceptance of gay relationships. Should these people not be in elected positions unless they shared their bedroom preferences? These may be weak examples to make the point here, but alas, I ask....Why can't we be tolerant of each other and not let political views and actions be a reason we should OUT someone. If you don't like a person's political agenda, vote them out of office, don't cast stones to inflict personal harm. Let's all learn to live out lives and not seek ways to judge, lest we be judged.
May 19 7:55 PM
Robocub wrote:
Imagine this is you will. A Black man in politics, who obviously can't hide the fact that he's black, but secretly and actively politically lobbies against his own community. That black politician should be "outed" to his community and removed from office. It's the same to me if a closeted gay man keeps his sexuality hidden and actively lobbies against the gay community. Out him (or her) and also remove him from public office.
May 18 9:01 PM
Ronald5969 wrote:
A guy who has gay sex but is in a position to, and does, keep gay rights bill from being passed, is a hypocrite and does not deserve the trust of the people. He should be removed from office and all information relating to his "gaydom" should be made public so that he can become an outcast like he was helping to keep the rest of us! I have been gay all my life but because of fear I have been forced to hide my feelings and live a life that is devoid of any "real" friendship. It is probably to late for me, but if anyone out there is in the same position as I was when I was young reads this, they should try to make others aware of their feelings so they may have the chance for happiness that I have been forced to deny myself and the possible mate that I "should" have been able to have. I will leave you with this thought only, Why should who you have sex with, be anybody's business but yours and your partners.
May 18 6:21 PM
Ronald5969 wrote:
A guy who has gay sex but is in a position to, and does, keep gay rights bill from being passed, is a hypocrite and does not deserve the trust of the people. He should be removed from office and all information relating to his "gaydom" should be made public so that he can become an outcast like he was helping to keep the rest of us! I have been gay all my life but because of fear I have been forced to hide my feelings and live a life that is devoid of any "real" friendship. It is probably to late for me, but if anyone out there is in the same position as I was when I was young reads this, they should try to make others aware of their feelings so they may have the chance for happiness that I have been forced to deny myself and the possible mate that I "should" have been able to have. I will leave you with this thought only, Why should who you have sex with, be anybody's business but yours and your partners.
May 18 6:21 PM
MidwesternKid wrote:
Shake that ass. Pop it and lock it.
May 18 9:39 AM
coolarmydude wrote:
tuffguyndc wrote: "I never understood why people felt the need to out someone no matter what the circumstances were. I see why the gay, and lesbian have some many problems. We don't even respect each other how in the hell can you expect others to respect us."
Has the thought ever occurred to you and those that agree with you that when these closeted politicians block gay equal rights or enact laws that deny gay equal rights that they don't respect us as equal citizens? No wonder we "see why the gay, and lesbian have so many problems."
May 16 11:52 PM
SportingChance wrote:
The hypocrisy they discuss is obviously worthy of exposure. But I'm not going to spend ten dollars and two hours sitting in a dark theater with dozens of other filmgoers self-congratulating on how right WE are and how wrong THEY are.
Although I might simply have been too distracted by the trailer's use of Chopin's Op. 64 No. 2. to pay attention to the film they were promoting. :-)
May 16 8:31 PM
zeebyaboi wrote:
I was at the Stonewall 25 Celebration in NYC, in Central Park. We were all gathered on the big lawn, listening to Liza Minelli performing up on the stage. One guy sat down next to me and asked if he could take a hit or two off the joint I was smoking. He was a very fat man, nude, older, white, lots of body hair, and basically not particularly attractive. Anyway, we're sharing this joint, we were chatting, and I asked him what he did for a living, and he told me he was a congressman (or maybe a United States Senator) down in D.C. I told him I was from the D.C. area (at that time, anyway). I asked him if he was a Democrat or a Libertarian, and he acted shocked, and said he was a Republican. I said that it was nice to see some support within a party that was not normally known for it's tolerance of Gays. He continued to be offended, and said he would, as a good Republican, never support Gay issues.
I was very put off by that, and asked him what he was doing there at this event, naked, and smoking my pot?
He responded that we Gays always have the best parties, and that there was no other way to find cute guys to play with or good pot to smoke, or being able to be naked in a sea of other hot, sweaty, naked people, and that this was a rare opportunity to "be himself" as he put it!
I was just stunned! But I took the joint back and told him to find some other sucker.
May 16 6:17 PM
Sporty_g wrote:
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..."
Propogating violence and discrimination against a minority for personal profit and power is wrong and needs to be exposed by any and all tactics available, even "OUTING". Living a double life on the "down-low" is the depth of hypocrisy. This type of hypocrisy hurts and even kills many REAL people.... family, friends and co-workers, etc and is an unacceptable trade of "the one" for "the many". If you are an anti-gay politician, in danger of being "outed"....."get out of the kitchen if you can't stand the heat".....OUTING, in this situation, is an acceptable form of "educating the masses" about their political representative.
May 16 5:20 PM
ActiveAndFit wrote:
If anyone persecutes, demeans, or spouts anti-gay rhetoric while pretending to be straight while they are in fact gay, then YES go ahead and out them. After nearly 1700 years of state/church sponsored persecution of Homosexuals it is time we fight back. What better weapon than truth and freedom of speech.
May 16 5:12 PM
tallblondeness wrote:
I have to agree with tuffguyndc. This movie is nothing more than your standard "I'm out so they should be too" rhetoric. Most of us have lived a double life at some point in time, so how is it within our power to cast judgement on them for doing the same? We live in a republic, we have the ability to vote these people out of office. If you don't like what they vote for, then put it out there, make it well known, go about getting them out of office the right way, not out of the closet the wrong way.
May 16 5:01 PM
tuffguyndc wrote:
U know, I try not to get caught up in stuff like this but when I saw this article I had to respond to it. I think that this movie is rediculous. I never understood why people felt the need to out someone no matter what the circumstances were. I see why the gay, and lesbian have some many problems. We don't even respect each other how in the hell can you expect others to respect us. I really get upset when others feel they have the right to judge someone else and there actions. People get a clue everyone comes out eventually and it is usually when they are comfortable with themselves and others. I think this movie is just another embarrassement to gay,bi, and lesbian people as a whole.
May 16 4:33 PM