Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence (Haworth Gay and Lesbian Studies) - Softcover

Johansson, Warren; Percy, William A

9781560230410: Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence (Haworth Gay and Lesbian Studies)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156023041X ISBN 13: 9781560230410

Publisher: Routledge, 1994

Here is the most complete book on outing--the exposure of closet homosexual cases in high places. Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence is the first historicist treatment of the intolerance of homosexuality in any language. Authors Johansson and Percy analyze the subject from the perspective of the shifting religious attitudes toward homosexual expression. They do not blithely parrot the “right to privacy,” but examine the dialectical meaning of privacy. This provocative book focuses on the irreconcilable opposition between the belief in privacy and the assumption of Christian theology that all homosexual activity is visible to the God whose wrath it provokes.

The authors hold that outing is a legitimate tactic for reinforcing the identity and solidarity of the Queer Nation in its struggle for vindication and survival in the age of AIDS. And this book provides readers with a host of issues and definitions and stimulates ideas on outing:

political and ethical issues
media treatment of sexual behavior and identity
social visibility and invisibility
when to out and when not to out
celebrities and their images
the social situation of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual
life histories of the two principal outers and their techniques

In their “Tactical Guide to Outing,” the authors present areas to consider before proceeding with outing: the potential outee's career, income, and place of residence; the nature of the outee's sexual life; family circumstances of the subject; nature of the outee's reputation; motives of the outer; libel and slander; and publicity. Consideration of these areas will allow readers to more clearly decide on “To Out or Not to Out.” Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence is today's guide to understanding and accomplishing the task of outing.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.