Two weeks ago, I sat in a rap group session on outing, one activist, me, and a room full of homos who had swallowed whole the shit about privacy. Acting as if actually calling someone gay or lesbian in public was akin to crucifying them, but of course they denied that was it, its just private, that's all. Oh, yeah, private like some bimbo that Clinton porked. Private like Gary Hart. Private like Barbara Bush. Private like Hillary Clinton. Private. Secret. Dark. Evil. Bad. Mustn't say. Private like the Senator who shows up in a gay bar, and then votes against us the next day, but its *BAD* to say we saw him there. Private. Secret. Wicked. Sinful. Bad. FUCK PRIVATE. If these walking closets think their careers are more important than the truth, then they can stay away from OUR bars and stay OUT of our beds. I am tired of closet cases sitting down at the feasts of our community, feasting upon our blood won rights and small victories and then slipping away before its time to win the next meal. Fuck them. If they want their privacy protected, then they shouldn't come to our places and pretend that they're one of us. If I know about your sexuality, it isn't private. I hate the strayt media who decry outing as invasion of privacy, but think that talking about weddings and babies and affairs and who took who to the Oscars is just reporting. "You're making people angry!" they shrieked, "The Strayt people don't like it. You're just antagonizing people, we'll never have equality that way!" "So what?" I said, "They hated Martin Luther King too. He rocked the boat. What do you the Stonewall Riot was? A polite street party where we asked nicely not to be beatened and extorted by a corrupt police force?" "That's Different! That's different. That's different, everybody who marched, wanted to march! How dare you compare this to Martin Luther King?(Read the Sub-text, he's been sainted, and everybody agreed with him and he never did wrong)" "Sure it is. I bet all the people of color caught in the fallout and the burning and the oppressive rage trying pushing them all back down into the muck wanted to know why MLK was shaking things up, and he should just leave well enough alone, and we'll get our rights eventually when we make them like us, and its your fault these white people are beating me up because you rocked the boat." SO how come its an invasion of privacy to mention that Jodie's a Lezzie, but its perfectly ok to show pictures of Mel Gibson and his wife? Who I love is not a matter of privacy in this culture, and I refuse to allow part of my soul to be locked in a bedroom by strayt society who pretend this is an issue of privacy that shouldn't be discussed when what they really mean is that QUEERS shouldn't be discussed. Outing is not a simple issue. It is a violent scream of rage to move beyond private tolerance, as long as strayts don't see you, to a demand for equality and that being publically gay is not something to be ashamed of. Ry Schwark ry@usl.com