In a recent ethics column in Cornell University's student newspaper, an ethics columnist suggested to a questioning student that she ought to out herself to all of her housemates, because homosexuality might make her roommates uncomfortable. In doing so, the columnist compared homosexuality to an eating disorder, and suggested that when people come out of the closet, they should take other people's feelings into consideration over their own.

"Everyone has secrets. Your roommate might not know how to put in a tampon, or the skinniest girl on campus might have secret Twinkie binges every night. But these secrets don't affect anyone else, while yours does," writes the ethics columnist. "Some girls might have chosen to live in the sorority house because they don't want to live with guys who could be checking them out, and even if you don't have a crush on any specific girl...your sexual orientation would make them uncomfortable. It would be just as unethical for you to 'pretend to be straight' to avoid discomfort as it would be for a guy to get breast implants in order to land a sweet single in [an all-female dorm]."

This type of advice coming from an ethics columnist is unhelpful, and potentially dangerous. The coming out process is an emotional time for anyone, and first and foremost should be the safety and mental health of the person coming out.

But instead of giving that kind of advice, Cornell's newspaper affirmed some homophobic stereotypes about gay people preying on members of the same-sex, and suggested that the primary motivation for someone coming out ought to be other people's potential homophobia. Unhelpful.

Send Cornell's student newspaper a message that this type of advice is unhelpful, and that they should strive to make sure all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, are afforded a measure of dignity. Comparing homosexuality to eating disorders, or emphasizing snark over sound advice, just isn't helpful.