User talk:81.97.246.115

"Openly" gay
Hi, I see that you're editing a bunch of pages removing the word "openly" from sentences that say the article subject is "openly gay". Is there a reason why you're doing that? — Toughpigs (talk) 19:21, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

Hello (sorry, haven't used this function on Wikipedia before, hope I'm replying in the right place)

Two reasons. In the context of Wikipedia, I think "openly" is redundant: you're stating someone's gay, backed up with sources, so clearly they're open about it. It's simply a fact: they're gay. If they weren't open about it, you couldn't make the statement. (Even if you were pretty sure they were gay, you could only refer to rumours and allegations).

More generally, I dislike the term 'openly gay' as, however subtly, it carries an implication of shame. If you think about how it's used, it tends to be in the context of a quality that for whatever reason, people think should be hidden or masked - for instance it would make sense to say 'he openly supported naziism' or 'she was openly contemptuous of him'. Now, I realise many people think being gay should also be hidden or masked. But wikipedia should be neutral on that question, so just using the phrase 'gay' is more appropriate.

Out of interest, how did you notice I was doing that?

(By the way, I realise I forgot to log in. My username is Kitsims if you want to keep talking!)