transcription, транскрипция: [ aut ]
transitive verb (People and Society) To expose the homosexuality of (a prominent or famous person); to force (someone) to come 'out of the closet'. Also as an action noun outing, the practice or policy of making such a revelation, especially as a political move on the part of gay rights activists; agent noun outer. Etymology: Formed by turning the adverb out (as in the phrase come out (that is, out of the closet), meaning 'to make public one's homosexuality') into a verb. The transitive verb out already existed in a number of more general senses. History and Usage: The practice of outing, also known as tossing, was first brought to public attention in the US in early 1990, when public revelations about the sexual orientation of some famous people were used as a political tactic by gay rights activists; they were concerned mainly about lack of support for the victims of Aids, even among those who were closet gays. The word out and its derivatives very quickly acquired a currency among gay groups in the UK as well; wherever it was practised, outing caused considerable controversy. The New York gay magazine OutWeek became particularly associated with outing, revealing the homosexuality of a number of prominent film stars and public figures who, it said, were betraying the cause of gay rights by remaining silent. Instead of tossing or outing this congressman, I...called to his attention the hypocrisy that he had been legislating against gays. Los Angeles Times 22 Mar. 1990, section E, p. 23 This [i.e. Aids] is the new factor that gives outing both its awful appeal and its power and, most precisely, exposes the motives of the outers as terrorism. Sunday Times 6 May 1990, section C, p. 6