CBS anchor Itay Hod has essentially outed Republican Congressman Aaron Schock

[FreeState]

https://m.facebook.com/iamitayhod/posts/10153719602440624

people always say, no one has the right to out anyone. that coming out is a private matter. i disagree. as you can imagine, not a very popular opinion. but bear with me.

here's a hypothetical: what if you know a certain GOP congressman, let's just say from Illinois, is gay... and you know this because one of your friends, a journalist for a reputable network, told you in no uncertain terms that he caught that GOP congressman and his male roommate in the shower... together. now they could have been good friends just trying to conserve water. but there's more. what if this congressman has also been caught by tmz cameras trolling gay bars. now what if you know that this very same guy, the darling of the gop, has also voted against repeal of don’t ask don’t tell, opposed the repeal of doma, is against gay marriage; and for the federal marriage amendment, which would add language to the us constitution banning gay marriage and would likely strike down every gay rights law and ordinance in the country?

Are we still not allowed to out him?

let me ask another question... doesn't the media have an OBLIGATION to expose his hypocrisy? if he had done something so hypocritical and he wasn't gay, wouldn't we demand journalists do their job? but they can't... because we won't let them. you're not allowed to out ANYONE, we tell them.

[JI7]

1. who doesn't know he is gay ?

[msongs]

2. never heard of him lol nt

[Tx4obama]

3. A link to his Wikipedia BIO, below

-snip-

Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is the United States Representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district, serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Peoria and includes part of Springfield. At the age of 32, Schock is both the second youngest currently serving U.S. representative, after Patrick Murphy of Florida, and the first member of the U.S. Congress born in the 1980s. Previously, Schock served two terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, and was its youngest member.

-snip-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Schock

[JI7]

4. him

[ZRT2209]

21. that outfit says it all

[a kennedy]

46. I was going to say his a w e s o m e abs.....

I hear a lot of gays have perfectly toned bodies.....

[karynnj]

49. I did - but only when he was elected and about all I heard was he was young, cute and clean cut

- All American - and Republican.

[yeoman6987]

27. Still wrong

It is still wrong to out anybody. However, I know a few gay friends who are still against gay marriage and other gay rights. Kinda strange but they are out there. Thankfully they don't have the pull to stop progress.

[eridani]

42. "They don't have the pull to stop progress" is why they shouldn't be outed

Those who do have the pull to stop progress, like elected representatives, fucking well SHOULD be outed.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Never heard of him...

Hoo-boy! Do you think Ryan is jealous? LOL! Though he may not have "announced" he is gay, I am sure it is a well-known 'secret' and likely will be used to further divide gays or use to attack us. As far as "outing" him, well, given his positions, I am all in favor. To me, it is no different than "outing" someone who is all about "family values" but exhibits none.

[JI7]

6. “I think Paul's in great shape,” Schock told TMZ.

from what i hear he is really nice guy so you wont really get anyone who will go to the media just to try to hurt him. the media isn't going to report on it unless there is some "scandal" . this is why he freely goes to gay bars in dc and chicago without worrying about being exposed.

he does look a lot better than paul ryan though. something about paul ryan seems out of proportion. plus ryan looks like a douchebag.


<Tampa, Fla., while he was attending the Republican National Convention, TMZ descended upon Schock as he was walking through the gay neighborhood of the city, complete with rainbow flags in the background as well as stores selling skimpy men’s underwear and what some have said is a local gay bathhouse.

“I think Paul's in great shape,” Schock told TMZ. “I think a little bit of leaner attire to help accentuate that physique he works so hard to, you know, maintain.”>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/aaron-schock-gay-rumors_n_1851827.html

[Behind the Aegis]

7. LMAO!!!

“I think a little bit of leaner attire to help accentuate that physique he works so hard to, you know, maintain.”

Why didn't he just say, "He looks fab-U-lous!"?

[Luminous Animal]

13. Nice stereotype about how gay men talk.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. Given the article, it was a play on the situation.

Too bad that bit of sarcasm passed you by.

[Luminous Animal]

16. Yes.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. Good you saw the sarcasm.

[Baitball Blogger]

28. He's a nice guy so no one will go to the media to hurt him?

What an unrealistic expectation. No one can nice-away hypocrisy.

[sufrommich]

29. "really nice guys" don't vote to deny basic human rights. nt

[questionseverything]

34. or to cut food stamps

by 40 billion

personally i do not care HOW we get rid of him....just that he is out of congress

[JI7]

38. he probably doesn't talk politics with the guys he meets and there are many who aren't that

politically aware. so they just see a nice guy who talks about things like working out .

those who are politically aware will probably not want to talk to him in the first place . there was a republican gay guy once who complained about guys who refused to see him when they found out he was a republican.

[El_Johns]

10. It's no different from "outing" a Congressperson who's cheating on their spouse while

making speeches about the sanctity of marriage, or "outing" one who talks a good game about the environment but owns a large block of Exxon shares.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. I agree. I am normally against "outing."

But, there are instances, this being one, which call for it. It does, however, create a number of issues, which I am sure will erupt if this becomes a bigger issue.

[El_Johns]

12. In general, politicians' sex lives are of no interest to me; the only exception is this kind of

hypocrisy, which boils down to: they themselves make it an issue with their own hypocrisy, as in the case of the politician who tries to demagogue family values (& explicitly or implicitly attack others) while not practicing such values themselves.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. This isn't about his sex life, unlike cheating spouses.

Being gay is more than sex, and if he sees it that way, it makes him an even bigger idiot. The only reason I support an outing like this is because he votes against his very existence, and that, IMO, is the height of hypocrisy.

[JI7]

17. it's not the same thing because it ignores how gays face discrimination in society

it doesn't totally excuse the hypocrisy of gay members voting against gay rights. but i don't think it is equal to candidates who cheat preaching about morals.

[Behind the Aegis]

18. I see it as the same.

It is also similar to women who have had abortions in the past, but charge forward with a "pro-life" stance. In the case of cheating spouses, that only comes into play with "family values" folks, not just those who cheat.

[El_Johns]

20. I don't see that it matters; the Congressman is perpetuating that discrimination & indeed, making

it worse, while existing in a privileged space himself.

It's like a black legislator voting for stop & frisk.

[DemocraticWing]

8. Outing isn't the coolest thing in the world...

But it's more understandable when the person in questions is actively harming the LGBT community.

[SunSeeker]

9. A hypocrite and a coward. nt

[quakerboy]

22. I am against the outing anyone

I am for the constant monitoring and exposing of politicians and members of the law enforcement community. If I had my way every minute would be taped and ready for review at need. There is no room for secrets in these jobs, with lives and even countries in their hands.

[Zen Democrat]

23. Should the great persecutor JEdgar Hoover have been outed?

Word is that he protected the Mafia for decades because they were blackmailing him with pictures. I think that's why it's so important for our gay and lesbian political leaders to be open. The self-loathers or the self-entitled who can enjoy rights for themselves and deny it to others and persecute them should be outed on the front page of the NYTimes. It's about their ethics.

[Katashi_itto]

24. He's a Repuke. Who cares, hopefully it will damage him with his teabagger base

[reformist2]

25. Of course it's ok! So-called journalists have always been gossip-mongers, always will be.

That's what we pay them for!

[Laelth]

26. The rules are different for public figures.

I think it's unethical to out private citizens, but public figures like Aaron Schock (R - Hypocrisy, IL) are fair game.

-Laelth

[FreeState]

36. +1 - exactly were I'm at too n/t

[sendero]

30. Don't out him because he is gay...

... out him because he is a hypocrite.

[justiceischeap]

31. And we have a winner! nt

[thesquanderer]

32. People defend the outing because of the hypocrisy but

hypocrisy is not illegal. Elected officials have no obligation to avoid hypocrisy.

I'm not sure that hypocrisy should mean forfeiting one's privacy, or who should be entitled to make that decision.

OTOH, if you go into politics, you're a fool if you don't think the opposition is going to use everything they can against you, whether it's "proper" or not. And exposing hypocrisy wins political points.

So... I'm not sure I endorse the outing, but he shouldn't be surprised by it.

[MrScorpio]

33. Trust me, if he's a gay man in DC, people will find out

I'd be surprised if anyone DIDN'T know.

[FreeState]

37. They all know, the point of the post was that no one will talk

about it - he's being given a free pass by the media because its "unethical" to out someone, even if everyone knows. I say out the bastard, because that is what he is, a sick twisted closet case who is doing major damage to LGBT persons among others.

[QC]

35. In a case like this, I think of outing as an act of self-defense.

While I never would support outing a private individual, but when someone like Schock is actively harming the community from the safety of the closet, outing is a way to stop that harm.

As someone said above, few would have any problem with outing someone like Roy Cohn or J. Edgar Hoover. I see this as a similar case.

[Cha]

39. Out Aaron Schock's Hypocrisy. nm

[JI7]

40. hahah, he shut down his instagram account which was mostly pics of him showing off

his workouts and fashion and guys telling him how cute he was.

[Jenny_92808]

41. He deserves to be outed because ...

...he has been using his power to cause great harm to all of us. Just look at what he has done -

- Schock voted against adding sexual orientation to the already-existing hate crimes law.
- Schock voted against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
- Schock opposes the repeal of DOMA.
- Schock is against gay marriage; and
- Schock is for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would add language to the US Constitution banning gay marriage and likely striking down every gay rights law and ordinance in the country.

[YoungDemCA]

43. +100000

Thank you for posting this.

[Stuart G]

44. k & r thanks for posting..... nt

[QC]

45. Wonkette's take on the story:

http://wonkette.com/538268/what-if-aaron-schock-really-is-straight

[Dash87]

47. His sexuality is none of my business

[cbdo2007]

48. yet your sexuality is his business

[B Calm]

50. It always has been a republican trait to point the finger,

with the hopes nobody will find out that they are guilty of doing the same things.

[hrmjustin]

51. If he voted against us on so many issues then I won't be upset if he is outed.

[Brickbat]

52. If the media has an obligation to expose hypocrisy, it could do a lot more than just out gay people.