In defence of outing

P. Reynolds

This essay puts forward that outing in the specific context of gay politics is a reaction to the homophobic "new right" moral agenda in the 1980s. It discusses the idea of outing in more detail, aligning it with critical analyses of the nature and basis of gay and lesbian sexual oppression, which forms the basis for a defence of outing as a political strategy. The ethical and political weaknesses of outing will be explored, and finally the implications of outing as a legitimated political strategy will be considered.