The right to come out includes the right not to
The right to come out includes the right not to
https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/by38lkvgfg
Publish Date: 2026-06-22 17:11:00
Source Domain: www.ynetnews.com
Pride Month is a time to celebrate visibility, acceptance and belonging. But in an era where information moves seamlessly between systems, vendors and AI tools, it should also raise another question: How do we ensure that people are only exposed when they choose to be?
To answer that question, it helps to move beyond slogans and look at the details.
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The gay Pride flag
(Photo: Shutterstock)
An employee signs up for an internal Pride event. They provide their name, email address, department, perhaps pronouns, accessibility requirements or dietary preferences. Registration is handled by a third-party vendor. Photos are taken at the event. Some are shared on LinkedIn. The attendee list is stored in a shared drive, an event platform or an HR system. Later, an enterprise AI tool may summarize, categorize, analyze or connect that information with other datasets.
As information accumulates across systems and over time, it can reveal far more than any single piece of data ever could.
For most people, privacy sounds like a setting buried somewhere in an application. For others, it can mean the difference between controlling their personal story and having it revealed without their consent.
For many LGBTQ+ individuals, coming out represents freedom, safety and belonging. Often, it is the result of years spent navigating uncertainty, assessing environments and searching for spaces where they can be fully themselves. Visibility matters, but only when it remains a choice.
Someone may be open with friends but not with family. Comfortable in one environment but cautious in another. Willing to participate in a Pride event at work, but not comfortable having their image stored indefinitely by a third-party vendor or connected to other information years later.
Privacy is not the opposite of Pride. It is what allows people to decide when, where, how and with whom they share who they are.
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