Outrage (2009 film)

Overview

Outrage argues that several American political figures have led closeted gay lives while supporting and endorsing legislation that is harmful to the gay community. The film examines the mass media's reluctance to discuss issues involving gay politicians despite many comparable news stories about heterosexual politicians and scandals. Outrage describes this behavior as a form of institutionalized homophobia that has resulted in a tacit policy of self-censorship when reporting on these issues. The film is based on the work of blogger Michael Rogers and his site blogactive.com.

Subjects

Among other subjects, the film includes:

Interviews

People interviewed in Outrage include:

Openly gay politicians

Others

Reception

Film critics responded, for the most part, with positive reviews. Scott Foundas of The Village Voice praised Outrage for its "well-honed arguments, sound sourcing, and journalistic boldness," and the San Francisco Chronicle's Jonathan Curiel described it as "essential viewing". Variety's John Anderson wrote that the film "is operating from a position of righteous indignation, and that indignation is infectious", while criticizing the film's lack of evidence in making certain arguments. Critic Armond White disliked the film, calling it "no more serious than the spiteful gossipy clown Perez Hilton", and writing that the decision to only out conservatives "influences ideological separatism, encouraging the idea of elite gay privilege".

In an interview with New York Post, Ed Koch denounced the film and claimed that it mischaracterized his record on gay issues. He did not respond to the film's assertions that he had failed to adequately respond to New York City's AIDS epidemic, or to the film's assertions that he had had a boyfriend whom he had pressured to leave New York and remain silent about their relationship.

Naming

While some journalists named the political figures discussed in the film, other prominent news organizations, such as The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR, did not report names. Dick questioned this reluctance, saying, "The press often reports on things that are very painful to the subjects they are writing about. [Closeted gay politicians] are public officials; this is reporting on hypocrisy, and there is an obligation on the press to write about it."

NPR review

In a review for NPR, film critic Nathan Lee named Outrage's primary subjects. NPR altered Lee's review by removing these references. Lee responded in a comment on NPR's website:

I personally disagree with NPR's policy - there is no other area of 'privacy' that elicits such extreme tact. [I] also feel that it is a professional affront to my responsibility as a critic to discuss the content of a work of art, and an impingement of my First Amendment right to free speech and the press.

NPR deleted this comment as well. An NPR editor later explained these actions, noting that, "NPR has a long-held policy of trying to respect the privacy of public figures and of not airing or publishing rumors, allegations and reports about their private lives unless there is a compelling reason to do so." This statement drew immediate criticism, as NPR had previously speculated on the sexual orientation of public figures such as Adam Lambert and Queen Latifah. This led to questions about why closeted entertainers presented a "compelling reason" for reporting while closeted politicians did not.

GLAAD Media Awards

Outrage did not receive a nomination for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's 21st GLAAD Media Awards. Some journalists wrote that this decision must have been a deliberate snub because Outrage had been one of 2009's most prominent LGBT films. GLAAD responded to the criticism by arguing that Outrage "doesn't promote awareness, understanding and respect for LGBT lives and thus does not fit the criteria for the GLAAD Media Awards." Dick said that he was troubled by GLAAD's apparent stance against reporting on closeted anti-gay politicians, noting that "by taking this position, GLAAD is playing into the same philosophy that has kept the closet in place in politics for decades and has caused so much damage."