[betenoire]

I don't think this is an ethical issue at all. It's deeply personal, and I have no judgement toward anybody who is closeted in any area of their life. For some people remaining closeted is necessary for their physical safety, for others it is necessary for their remaining employed (or at least for working in a bullshit-free environment).

I DO think that outing other people IS an ethical issue. It is -wrong- to out another person - point blank. There is never a situation in which it is okay to out someone else. It is their story to tell - not mine. And as for whether or not it's okay to sit around speculating about other people's sexual orientation - my personal policy regarding this (and about everything personal) is that I don't know anything about anybody unless they have told it to me themself. Playing homo-detective is creepy, I don't like it.