Talk:Self outing

Raison d'etre of creating the page

I realise the term may not be very prevalent presently, but it is increasingly being used for individuals who opt to come out publicly at their own will as opposed to outing by third parties. It is more specific than coming out which might involve coming out to relatives and friends without publicly declaring themselves gay. Whereas a "self outing" as a "coined phrase" is a more deliberate act using mass media. A prime example of this is Will Sheridan who more than 6-7 years ago had "come out" to his teammate and roommate basketball player Mike Nardi, then a year later to his parents and had come out to his teammates at Villanova. However he was not known publicly as gay as this was kept secret by Nardi, by Will's parents and by Villanova teammates throughout his play with the team, and he was not outed. But in May 2011, he chose to "self out" himself using ESPN after having come out for years earlier provately. This proves "self outing" is a phenomenon that is unique and may come years later than "coming out". Another "self outing" case that happened almost simultaneously the same week alongside Sheridan's, was that of CNN broadcaster Don Lemon who chose to come out to public ("self out" himself) via his autobiographical book. He had "come out" much earlier similar to what Will Sheridan had done, but kept it secret from the public until deciding to "self out" himself. werldwayd (talk) 16:20, 24 May 2011 (UTC)