"Outrage" director: All Americans should be angry about hypocrisy on gay rights

"Outrage," a new documentary about allegedly gay politicians who are in the closet, opened Friday, May 8 in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia before going into wider release. Jill Lawrence of Politics Daily reviewed the film and talked with "Outrage" director Kirby Dick. Here's her interview:

PD: Why did you decide to make this film?
A: It was August of 2006 and I was in Washington promoting This Film is Not Yet Rated. The only reason I knew about that subject was because I was in the film business. I thought there must be a number of subjects or stories that would make great documentary films that are only known by people inside the Beltway. I started asking around. Very quickly this question of closeted gay politicians who vote anti-gay came up. It was very rich subject matter for a documentary. It was very significant hypocrisy that the mainstream media has in many ways avoided discussing. You also have the psychology of these people who choose to live in the closet. It's fascinating, almost Shakespearean. They live a double life in exchange for power ... Politicians are victims of homophobia as well. I would much rather live in a society where they didn't have to live a double life.
PD: Did you have ethical qualms about going so deeply into people's private lives?
A: This really isn't a film about people's private lives. It's really a film about their hypocrisy ... The gay press
has been writing about these issues for decades now. In many ways I see my work standing on their shoulders. I'm not first out of the gate with it by any means. The gay press as well as everyone we talked to on our film wanted this subject talked about. They wanted a film made about it ... It's always good to have an open discussion about the ethics of anything. But sometimes the discussion around outing obscures the fundamental issue. This is hypocrisy that affects the lives of millions of Americans. Documentaries and the press have a responsibility to report on it.
PD: Some of the public figures in the movie who are "out" seem quite angry about those in the closet.
A: I certainly encountered that. I did encounter both an anger and a frustration that people can get away with this. They've seen the toll of the closet. They've seen that sometimes these people bend over backwards, are more anti-gay than they need to be, because too many pro-gay votes would raise suspicion. That's worthy of anger from all American citizens. You have this duplicity going on. It should be reported and the public should know about it and be angry about it.
PD: Was it hard to assemble the interviews and evidence you present?
A: People were certainly cautious at first. Washington of course is a very careful town. You have to be careful in a political environment. It goes with the territory. They wanted to be reassured that this was a real in-depth look at this issue, that it was not a tabloid film. Step by step people would come around as we would interview some people and word got back that it was a legitimate film.
PD: Were you frustrated in the end that there was no definitive proof in some cases? Do you think that undercuts the film?
A: There was a great deal of research that went into this film over many years. We had a number of people working on this for a great deal of time. I completely stand by the film. I'm 100 percent certain that everything in this film is accurate.
PD: Will there be skepticism about the missing pieces?
A: There may be. This is one of the challenges of working on a film about people in the closet. They are skilled at keeping that fact in the closet. But there's a very strong case made in this film.
PD: Have you heard from the two current officeholders targeted in the film, [Florida Gov.] Charlie Crist and
[California Rep.] David Dreier?
A: No, I have not.
PD: Are you worried that maybe you were wrong about any of these people?
A: I'm not.
PD. Do you worry about lawsuits?
A: I don't. What I've reported is accurate. And the last thing they want is any kind of attention to this issue.
PD: What do you hope happens as a result of this film?
A: I'm hopeful that this film can help change the effect of the closet in American politics. Politicians often make
a decision early in their career, even before they are elected, often in their teens or early 20s, to go into the
closet. That's the calculation that they make. I'm hopeful that when this film gets out there, it will get
discussed. I want it to be discussed. That's the most important issue. The end result is that young people going into political careers will realize there's a better alternative, which is to run as an out gay politician ... I
hope in 20 years the closet will be a much less important factor in American politics.
PD: What has been the response to "Outrage" so far?
A: The response has been very positive. People feel it's a powerful film. They feel that the argument is well made. It brings up an issue that's been off the radar for way too long. I'm happy that it's getting beyond the
controversy. People are looking at the deeper issues.
PD: Many of your films are about injustice. What's your next subject?
A: I can't talk about it at this time. I have a good idea of what it's going to be, but it's important to keep it
under the radar.