Outing: Still a sensation.

The outing of gay prominent figures is still a big issue for the media. Instead of with his mother, Guido Westerwelle – who was already 43 at the time – appeared with a man at his side at Angela Merkel's 50th birthday party in the summer of 2004. Although insiders had long since known that Mr. Westerwelle is gay, the press kicked up a major storm over the news.

Claude Janiak, President of the National Council in 2006, today a member of the Council of States, was “just” a Member of the National Council when he resigned from the Catholic church in protest to statements by the Conference of Bishops. The Blick newspaper made this into a big story. The Conference of Bishops at the time was urging all Catholic members of parliament to vote against the registered partnership law should it come up for a vote. According to the Conference, those who did not obey would be committing a sin before God. This was simply too much for Claude Janiak, who withdrew from the church as a result. He granted an interview to Blick. As a result, the fact that he was gay was no longer an issue in the Swiss press. Nevertheless the journalists from the Tages-Anzeiger in their reporting in the run-up to the referendum on the partnership law described him as an ‘avowed homosexual’. Janiak opined: “I have nothing against this as long as the Tages-Anzeiger also describes others as an ‘avowed father’, an ‘avowed heterosexual’ or an ‘avowed bordello client’. Anything less would be discrimination.”

Klaus Wowereit outed himself with his famous statement: “I am gay and that is a good thing also”. He earned the gratitude of gays and lesbians throughout Europe and the world for uttering that sentence.

Alfred Biolek, the well-known German television moderator, was outed against his will back in the seventies by Rosa von Praunheim. Back then, it meant that he could have been charged with a crime as a homosexual; instead, the German ordinance § 175, known as the “gay prohibition”, was eventually abolished. This political outing served the purpose of societal change. Alfred Biolek was misused by gay activists for their political aims, and yet his career and his popularity remained unscathed.

Homophobic burdens

A member of NETWORK reported: “I was mistreated for the first time in my life as a gay man just a few weeks ago – in my own house, at 11:00 pm, when I opened the window after someone had repeatedly rang the doorbell. A group of youths, or children, stood in the shadows and taunted me by calling out ‘faggot – faggot’. And then just a week later: As I stealthily approached the same group at work, I heard a dialogue that went something like this: You know, he’s just behind the inside of the door. Go and keep an eye on. If he comes out we’ll shoot.”

In the casting show on TV “Superstar”, the candidate Mumi announced in spring 2007 that one cannot really respect gays – or something alike. Then to be read in the newspaper was that “a group of youths” threaten guests in the gay-popular Cranberry Bar in Zurich by causing trouble and according to witnesses, made Nazi salutes and threw beer bottles through the window. Just days later, it was reported that a 53-year-old man in Basel was hospitalized after being beaten by a group of 14 to 16-year olds. And then they wonder why we feel so frightened, just because of a bunch of kids fooling around. Or why a huge block of ignorant parents are apparently unable to teach their children the rules of decent behavior in public and respect.

All these cases serve to demonstrate that our now politically anchored achievements are far from being anchored in society. And without such societal anchoring, these laws are not worth much. In any case, it is unimaginable that one could make much of an impression on such youths with a “partnership license” or to tell them “look here, see, I live in a same-sex partnership and this is permitted by law.”

That’s why NETWORK must continue its dedication to achieving openness, respect, social diversity and equal rights and to influence society through the skills and expertise of its members in regard to the issue of homosexuality.

How “out” must a member of NETWORK be?

You cannot be a member of NETWORK if you are not out. But, what does that really mean? It means that those who are “out” are daily confronted with the fact that they must either out themselves again and again or decide not to because it isn't important in the moment. However, it is important to realize that even if we are out; the fact that we are gay still remains a highly personal matter and is not really public information. This means that even if we are out, we expect the other people around us – such as our co-members of NETWORK – to take the proper care and consideration in the spreading of this information. And while an involuntary outing can be bothersome to one is already out, in the end, it doesn't really change much in his life. Nevertheless, those who seek an anonymous group in NETWORK, as existed maybe 50 years ago in the “The Circle”, is looking in the wrong organization. NETWORK can and may no longer offer any such protection, not if it seeks to fulfill its role according to its guiding principles.

Members of NETWORK must out themselves to the organization and its members. Otherwise, the guiding principle of networking has no purpose. A person who does not know himself, cannot really network. Anyone who is not prepared to out himself cannot become a member of NETWORK. It is – and this is mentioned only as an aside – also increasingly difficult for the heterosexual majority of the population, which reacts positively to our concerns and supports us, to understand why we would want to keep our homosexuality a secret. In an organization whose goal is to work toward greater societal acceptance, the members must acknowledge their own homosexuality. The members of NETWORK are obligated to set an example, also in regard to their personal openness within their professions, families and politics. Who else is going to do it, if not us?

Protecting our members

NETWORK has compiled a member directory to foster improved networking among its members. This can only be accessed in the password-protection of our website. Members are obligated to handle the access information and the data confidentially. Members who require enhanced protection are not listed in the member directory.

In the public section of the NETWORK website, only NETWORK members who have acknowledged their homosexuality in the media may be named, or those who have given their express permission for the publication their names.

Our meeting locations as well as the location of our weekly get-togethers are not provided to the general public. We do not intend to become a target for the curious or for those who seek to harass or hustle us. We expect our members and guests to use the appropriate discretion about our meeting locations.

Despite our precautions, no 100% protection from involuntary outings can be provided by NETWORK. The members of NETWORK, however, are requested to take the appropriate care when mentioning the names of their co-members when speaking to those outside the organization.