roachboy,
I agree that, on his own....motivated by his political beliefs, it shold not be Maher's "place" to use his own celebrity to "out" anybody. This is not his fight.....his life is not adversely impacted by the political activities of closeted gay people who work for an anti-gay agenda.
I expanded my responses to discussion of the issue of outings by gay activists, of closeted gay republicans who work to legislate their party's platform into law, reinforcing the myths of the conservative/christian fundamentalist political alliance of homosexuality as deviant pathology.
I view Maher as a sympathetic ally who can provide a "bully pulpit" for Mike Rogers or any other gay activist, to publicize and press discussion of the phenomena of closeted gay political operatives with an anti-gay agenda. If Maher's intent during his Larry King interview, was merely to boost media coverage of the activism of gay people who have to live in the more repressive circumstances resulting from the activities of closeted gays who wield anti-gay political influence, I am in support of what he said to Larry King.
I think that it is not "my place" to disapprove the actual delivery of the details of an "outing", if it is delivered by a Mike Rogers, in an appearance on Maher's show, or elsewhere, if Rogers provides the details of the circumstances that have resulted in the outing, as he did in this example:
Quote:
http://web.archive.org/web/200408222...?storyid=31174
Closet Campaign
Written by Bruce Leshan
Last Updated: 7/17/2004 4:45:47 PM
......Gay activist, Mike Rogers, is calling Congressional offices to out gay staffers and gay members of congress who support the Federal Marriage Amendment.
"We're trying to expose the conspiracy of silence and hypocrisy and conspiracy of silence behind the Capitol of the United States and inside the Bush Administration," he says.
The group had targeted Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. The 67-year-old Democratic senator, has never married and her opponents hit Mikulski early in her political career with questions about her sexual orientation. And in the past week Mikulski has in fact backed off supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment.
In return, the group says it has backed off questioning Mikulski's sexual orientation. But the senator says she chose not to support the amendment on her own and it had nothing to do with pressure from people like Rogers.
However, Rogers says there's still work that needs to done. Next on the list, a senate committee staffer who appeared in a local gay magazine and now works with a senator who supports the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Steve Fisher, with the Human Rights Campaign, says his organization is pushing to stop a constitutional amendment.
"We oppose ever using sexual orientation as a weapon," he says. "Our enemies are those who are trying to turn the Constitution into a vessel of discrimination."
Gay activists today purchased a full page ad in the Washington Blade, A Final Call to Conscience, warning For years our silence has protected you.
The vote on the gay marriage amendment in the Senate is scheduled for Wednesday.........
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....and aside from former rep., Ed Shrock who was married and has a child when he was outed, this does not seem to be an issue where "fallout" includes humiliation of "wives and children". This is about closeted gay political operatives who practice an anti-gay agenda who are single and decide not to provide any details about their personal lives....as in the examples of Mehlman and Dreier.
Bisexual Ed Shrock would have been free to spout crap like this:
Quote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...04Aug30_2.html
Va. Legislator Ends Bid for 3rd Term
Schrock Cites Unspecified Allegations Questioning His Ability to Serve
By Michael D. Shear and Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, August 31, 2004; Page A02
......In Congress, Schrock has served on the House Armed Services Committee. In 2001, he was elected president of the Republican House freshman class.
In 2000, the Virginian-Pilot said of Schrock that he favored ending the Clinton administration's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. He supported asking enlistees whether they have had homosexual experiences in an effort to try to keep gays from serving.
<b>"You're in the showers with them, you're in the bunk room with them, you're in staterooms with them," Schrock told the Virginian-Pilot</b>. "You just hope no harm would come by folks who are of that persuasion. It's a discipline thing.".....
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...under the "cover" that his marriage provided to him, if not for:
Quote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Aug30.html
.....Michael Rogers said his claims about Schrock were motivated by anger over what he said was the hypocrisy of the congressman's opposition to gay rights while leading a gay life. He said the purpose of his Web site is to make public the names of lawmakers and other politicians who engage in such hypocrisy.
"Why should my community protect him?" Rogers asked. "He's the enemy."
Rogers said on his Web site that Schrock had been recorded several years ago using a telephone service on which men place ads to arrange liaisons with other men. Rogers posted an audio link of an unidentified man placing an ad. Rogers said the man is Schrock, who is married and has a child.
The accusation by Rogers had circulated widely among Republicans in the state during the past 10 days and spurred rounds of talks among members of Congress, House leaders and local party leaders......
..... Mark L. McKinney, chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Committee, said he had not talked directly to Schrock. "It's a shame that he had to resign because of a Web site that is trying to push a point of view . . . but . . . I have to believe that this was the reason why he stepped down."
Schrock's announcement came on the first night of the Republican National Convention in New York.....
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