Trips or excursions taken for pleasure, or public revelations of someone's secret identity or personal information against their will.
From 'outing,' which comes from 'out' (Old English 'ut'). Originally meant simply 'going outside,' but developed a second meaning in the late 20th century related to revealing someone's hidden identity.
The word 'outing' has two completely opposite emotional weights—a family outing is joyful, but being outed against your will can be devastating. It's a fascinating example of how the same word can mean both something wonderful and something harmful depending on context.
Historically weaponized against LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly women and non-binary people. The term gained coercive connotations in late 20th-century context of forced disclosure.
Use 'disclosure' or 'revelation' for identity contexts. Reserve 'outings' for neutral event meaning (social gatherings) to avoid revictimization language.
["disclosure","revelation","public identification"]
LGBTQ+ activists reclaimed agency over their own narratives; honor self-disclosure as distinct from involuntary outing.
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