I just read an article in last week’s issue of The Advocate that described the phenomenon of Blog Active, a political blog site that “outs” gay & lesbian members of congress—especially (exclusively?) those who support or espouse anti-gay legislation or rhetoric into the American political arena. Their message is simple: “Those who use power to legislate against a group they are secretly a member of must be exposed for their hypocrisy.”

My responses to this are emotional and mixed.

My first response is that confronting hypocrisy is necessary, especially when people like Ed Schrock are allowed to live hate-free, uncomplicated lives because they play straight with others, but queer it up as soon as the lights are out. For so many, the closet is a stifling, oppressive convention, but for others, it’s warm blanket. In powerful political circles, pantomiming heterosexuality reinforces and supports a system that devalues homosexuals, that cannot put a human face on homosexuality, and that seeks to eradicate homosexuals from the populus by legislating us into oblivion. I’m personally fed up with being a second-class citizen—and if you think I’m overjoyed that policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” mean I can finally die for my country and be honored because I might have been a heterosexual,, well, that’s really not me at all.

On the other hand, I find Blog Active’s strategy to be disgusting. By using the closet against these legislators, Blog Active is also recognizing and supporting gay shame, reinforcing the belief that homosexuality is shameful and wrong. It’s obvious that Blog Active is not engaging in this activity to strengthen or support these legislators, to offer them a safe space to exist; instead, this invasive, privacy-busting exposure of secret meetings and behind-the-scenes affairs keeps those meetings secret and the affairs behind-the-scenes. As more and more leaders are outed by Blog Active, won’t that encourage other closeted legislators to become even MORE concerned about maintaining their privacy?

Coming out is never easy, and that’s because you have to choose to do it every day. Several times a week I have to decide whether or not I’m going to correct someone’s assumption that I’m a heterosexual. Is it flattering to pass as straight? No. Because being a gay person is something don’t feel any shame about.

So, Blog Active: yea or nay?