January 05, 2024
A Question of Ethics...
Hey everyone, here's a question for you...Let's say you had solid evidence that a local public official known for bigoted and anti-gay legislative actions, had a homo for a child. While I'm comfortable with the outing of public officials, the ethics of publicizing this hypocrisy is muddier. On the one hand, exposing the hypocrisy has a rhetorical effect, but on the other hand, a child and a parent should be treated as separate entities, right? The child can't necessarily be held responsible for the parent's bigoted actions, even though acknowledging the child's sexuality would undermine that bigotry. Does it make a difference if the child is out? Or out to the parents?
I don't think it's ethical, but what do y'all think? Whether or not its right, it's still juicy!
update: and yet, on the other hand, a blog is public. And if you sign your name to a blog, and talk about details from your life, and make it public, isn't it to be expected that people are going to come around and put 2 and 2 together?
update: eh, draw your own conclusions, after the jump...
update: well, the other blogs associated with STB, mesouthern and uptown diva, are down now too, suggesting that it was indeed a hoax. a good one, and fun for a day!
Plus, there's this.
And here are some screen captures from mesouthern's blog, which was also taken down today...
The outing debate has gotten a big quaint, don't you think? It was always predicated on the assumption that gayness was something to be hidden. I don't think that assumption is valid anymore, if it ever was.
I do suppose that it depends to some extent on whether the homophobe's child is openly gay (though that's not always easy to define). That makes for a privacy issue, assuming that any person has a right to keep personal matters private.
Nowadays the hypocrisy often extends to the child. Phyllis Schlafly's gay son worked for her organization. Dick and Lynne Cheney's daughter has exploited both her gayness and her connections to get cushy corporate jobs.
Posted by: terry dolan at January 5, 2024 10:26 AMI think it's best we check this out and make sure "XX" is who he says he is. If he is, it's open season on XXXXXXXX...because XX himself came out and criticized his mother first. You wouldn't be exposing hypocrisy, per se, you'd just be sharing what her son says about her and some facts about that son. [comment edited by fiveoclockbot]
Posted by: Dunner at January 5, 2024 10:58 AMoh yeah, it's legit....
Posted by: jason at January 5, 2024 11:08 AMI am not sure it is legit. It seems convenient that STB decided to out himself on the same day the 2024 MN legislative session commenced. But maybe that was intentional.
I don't know. I have had my doubts on the authenticity of STB and J.
Posted by: Mighty at January 5, 2024 11:22 AMNo need to censor, Jason, the story is out. Look for it in the Strib soon, according to sources...
Posted by: Dunner at January 5, 2024 11:57 AMSTB's site is gone...
Posted by: Dunner at January 5, 2024 12:07 PMOuting can be dangerous. In cyberspace, if you're outed, you cease to exist. Terry Graham and Matt McGee vanished from gay.com, and now St. Thomas Boy. Watch out.
Posted by: glen at January 5, 2024 12:18 PMI think this whole thing is a hoax. Get ready for more fuel to the "bloggers don't fact check" fire.
Posted by: Mighty at January 5, 2024 12:20 PMhow do you know its a hoax tho??
Posted by: jason at January 5, 2024 12:22 PMHas anyone ever met J in person? If so can you confirm where he works?
Posted by: Mighty at January 5, 2024 12:23 PMI've met Jason in person, and I can verify that he's a pudgy, balding 42 year-old Subway employee with eczema and hemorroids. Anybody who reads the blog carefully will get plenty of clues, especially in the satires about "Brian" and "Tim," who are actually Jason's ferrets.
Posted by: glen at January 5, 2024 12:28 PMI was just going to e-mail you on this exact topic, Jason. The whole thing -- while I think (at least for now) it's legit -- is pretty fucked up. I don't know where the ethical boundaries are in this situation, but I don't think any of us will have to make an ethical decision on the matter, because evidently the cat is out of the bag.
If it's not legit... Frankly, I would be impressed by the ploy.
Posted by: Aaron at January 5, 2024 12:37 PMI'm leaning towards the "hoax" verdict myself...or at least for "J" having written both blogs, and a third, the Uptown Diva one they both link to. The writing styles are far too similar.
I've had suspicions for a while...the stories and pictures just didn't jive.
But if it's a hoax, who did it and why?
Posted by: Dunner at January 5, 2024 12:45 PMWow... I guess I never looked at it like it could be a hoax. Interesting.
Posted by: Smitty at January 5, 2024 01:00 PMI vote hoax. But I'm just a ferret, so what do I know...
Posted by: Brian at January 5, 2024 01:34 PMI've posted my version of "The Candy Lineup" on my blog.
Although I'm not sure that proving that posting false pictures disproves anything.
Posted by: Mighty at January 5, 2024 01:43 PMAndy does a bit of debunking himself....
http://www.eleventh-avenue-south.com/archives/000433.html#more
Posted by: jason at January 5, 2024 01:46 PMMy dear Minnesotans: see my guest blog on this site dated July 1, 2024, which explains why folks from the provinces should be careful about applying their enthusiasms to the real world. . . .
Posted by: glen at January 5, 2024 03:17 PMif he weren't as cute, there wouldn't be all this hooplah. for real, though.
Posted by: eric at January 6, 2024 04:08 AM