When it comes to outing anti-gay officials, Blog Active‘s Mike Rogers invented the gsame — or at least mastered it. Without Rogers’s exposure of folks like Rep. Mark Foley or outh Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, there might never have been that Outrage film. So how does Rogers feel about ChurchOuting.org, the website promising to expose — or at least collect the names of — gay Catholic priests in D.C. who belong to a Church rallying against gay rights?
He’s not sure, actually.
Rogers has yet to declare his stance one way or the other. “Folks have asked me what I think of an effort to reveal the hidden sexual orientation of clergy members,” he writes. “I certainly think exposing Haggard was a good idea. Applying my thought process on outing political players, I think it’s a good thing to expose hypocrisy like this when the clergy are leading the fight against us. I am not sure where I fall in terms of outing clergy who are merely silent on the issue.”
We’d make this conclusion: Outing gay priests is akin to outing the staffers of an anti-gay gay politician. While these priests may not be actively campaigning against gay rights, they actively belong to and support and rally for an organization that does. And Rogers has outed gay staffers of anti-gay politicos before (list is here), using that very rationalization. So where’s his support of outing members of the cloth?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Charles Merrill
It probably goes against Mike’s Jewish religious beliefs. Would he out a Rabbi? The Judeo-Christian belief that there is a “man in the sky” that will judge us when we die lies the insanity of all religion.
David Ehrenstein
ALL Catholic priests are gay. Take it from a very lapsed Catholic. Been there, done that, drunk the wine and chewed the wafer.
That said who do you have in mind that Mike is suppsoedly neglecting?
Robert, NYC
I believe in the old addage…”silence gives consent”. If these closeted gay clerics remain silent or their straight counterparts are involved in sexual relationships with women, then I fully support their outing and any who rail against our full equality, silent or vocal. They deserve nothing less.
Nelson G.
Ironic, isn’t it? This is a man who in the past has had no qualms engaging in personal attacks toward other blog(ger)s who rub him (no pun intended) the wrong way; In fact, he’s even gone so far as to source domestic terrorist websites just to get his way.
But now that someone’s created a website to out anti-gay-in-the-closet priests, people who contribute to religious motivated hate by way of their silence, and as equally responsible for recent incidents mentioned here and numerous other blogs, except his by the way, he’s now asking to put on the brakes.
Ah, the hypocrisy. It stinks.
Robert, NYC
Nelson G, I totally agree with that. I don’t care who it is or what their religious cult affiliation is. The problem with Churchouting.org is that it doesn’t go far enough. Its only going to identify those whom they have documented reports on and then they’ll try to contact the individuals and find ways to get them to speak out. I don’t see that being very successful. Most closeted gay priests or prelates are not going to give up the priesthood to speak up in our defense. Churchouting.org should just out them altogether. In the absence of any sworn affidavits asserting that certain priests are gay and silent or better yet, actively engaged in sexual liaisons, including the straight ones, I don’t see how effective it will be. All they can do is deny the allegations and we all know how adept the RC cult is in covering up scandal.
Keith Kimmel
Fuck them all, out them all. I’m tired of seeing queer priests remaining silent while the institution that they are a part of loads us onto the trains for the concentration camps.
Lucas
To extend this trend of activism, let’s start outing everyone in positions of power who are part of a greater homophobic machine, i.e. actors who answer to homophobic studios and promote homophobic brands, singers, high powered business man and women – the works.
I think some good, truly radical activism is in dire need, especially here in America.
Robert, NYC
Keith, Lucas, I’m totally for that. I’m sick and tired of these closet cases who sit back and let the rest of us do the work to get them their rights. If they all came out and were honest, we wouldn’t be having a struggle to get marriage equality, DADT and DOMA passed. There is strength in numbers. I suspect there are millions of gay people out there who refuse to pitch in. Some of our own people are the worst offenders when it comes to getting our rights, people who vote republican for instance, a party that has never authored one piece of equality legislation. They actually believe, delusionally, that they can help their party from within. So I say to them, where are the results? Who among your key party leaders have come out in support of our FULL equality? They can’t even produce ONE who supports marriage equality for starters. Fuck them!
Dan James
Having almost been one myself, and being married to an ex-priest, I can tell you that many, many of these gay priests (and, no, not all Catholic priests are gay. I’d guess at 60%)are NOT silent. From the pulpits, maybe, although some that I know do openly embrace gays in the Catholic community. But even those that are silent from the pulpits are supportive to gays in the confessionals and in the counselling offices, eat at gays’ homes, baptize their children, and even bless their unions. They are the ones who are keeping kids from committing suicide over being gay when they come to talk or when their scandalized parents bring them to “get fixed”; they are the ones who help older, closeted gay men finally accept themselves and stop living lives of fear; they are the ones who slowly change public opinion one unthreatening conversation at a time, from the grassroots. Please don’t think of outting them. Their mission is as critical as that of the activists.
David Ehrenstein
60%? That’s REALLY low-balling!
If their “mission” is so “critical” why do they continue to belong to the world’s largest, richest and most thoroughly lawyered pedophile cult?
Most of the posters in here seem to think that “outing” is both a magic bullet and a simple thing to execute. Go ahead and post a list of gay Catholic pirests. It won’t get any further than this blog. The “mainstream” as you all well know is LOTHE to “out” anyone. Some papers in their reviews of the film “outrage” cut all references to Charlie Crist — as did NPR. In fact, the NPR film critic, Nathan Lee, had his name removed from his eviscerated review. And what did the rest of the “free press” have to say about this blatant act of censorship?
NOTHING!
jarvisbearcub
Why don’t you out straight priests? It would be a shorter list.
Michael Rogers
Would it not have been a good idea to call the subject of your story for a reaction?
Your editor and publisher had absoluely no problem locating me when
they wanted me to cover the costs of this site’s editor to fly to and get a hotel at a blogger summit. In fact they had no issue being pissed at me when I told them the meeting did not have the resources to buy last minute tickets from Los Angeles to DC