Public figures lose some of their privacy, some say, and U.S. law agrees.
Outing a public figure is especially acceptable, these people argue, if the person has spoken out against homosexuality. By outing such a person, you are exposing his or her hypocrisy. Bringing the sexual orientation of a regular person to the attention of others seems acceptable to few people - because both common sense and the law support the fact that we all have a right to be left alone. Being in the closet is morally wrong for a gay person, many people believe, and so these people think exposing someone's sexual orientation is really doing them the favor of saving them from the inner turmoil of hiding. Being an activist for gay and lesbians causes is not a requirement for being gay, and being out forces people into some degree of activism.