Inside the Outrage

A new documentary goes rogue to explore hate, hypocrisy and homosexuality.


Like Michael Moore without the blatant agit prop-ing, the people behind Outrage are on a clear mission: to decry politicians who vote against gay rights, while secretly embarking on same-sex trysts. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film is Not Yet Rated) skillfully uses a mix of on-screen text, news footage, and interviews with prominent members of the gay community (including Congressman Barney Frank, former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, and activist Larry Kramer) to illuminate the not-so-secret lives of supposedly conservative public figures. The media also comes under scrutiny, thanks in part to radio personality Michelangelo Signorile, whose 1980's gossip column sought to crack open the media's double-standard coverage of celebrities' sex lives.

The film primarily focuses on Larry Craig, an Idaho senator and outspoken gay-rights opponent, who in 2007 pled guilty to soliciting sex from a police officer in a public bathroom. In the film's latter half, particular attention is paid to Charlie Crist, governor of Florida and possible Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential election. Several interview subjects claim that Crist has led a secret gay life while loudly opposing same sex marriage and adoption, and that his own 2008 marriage was a strategic move to deflect attention from rumors about his sexual orientation.

Dick leaves no stone unturned, juxtaposing right-wing voting records, with recorded phone calls, revealing photographs and testimonies from alleged former lovers who were paid for their silence, run out of town, or told the filmmakers, "ask me about this again in ten years." However, the gay community is also called to action. In one of the most affecting moments of the film, the late Harvey Milk claims in a video clip that every gay individual must come out of the closet for equality to fully take effect. In less than 90 minutes, Outrage effectively illustrates Milk's words of wisdom: with so many secrets and lies in the government and media, how can anyone--gay or straight--be truly free?

Outrage will be released on DVD Tuesday, January 19.


-Lauren Whalen

*Find more of Lauren's writings on film, books and other pop culture weirdness at The Unprofessional Critic.