It seems like the closet is no longer a safe place for any public figure in either Hollywood or Washington! I'm not for outing gay celebrities really but I am very proud of how Neil Patrick Harris handled the situation last week. It's a model for others to follow and I hope they do! But in most cases, I hope it's on their terms.

Politics is a little trickier and I can't say it bothers me when someone who pushes anti-gay policies is outed. And this is what Bill Maher did on tonight's "Larry King Live" according to the blog Towleroad.

Here's the exchange with Larry King:

MAHER: "Frank Rich wrote about this a couple of weeks ago. He said, yes we've heard about Mark Foley...but he said, that's just the beginning of it. A lot of the chiefs of staff, the people who really run the underpinnings of the Republican party, are gay. I don't want to mention names but I will Friday night.

KING: You will Friday night?

MAHER: There's a couple people everybody in Washington knows, who run the Republican party

KING: You will name them?

MAHER: I wouldn't be the first. I'd get sued if I was the first, but...you know, Ken Mehlman, okay there's one I think people have talked about. I don't think he's denied it when people have suggested it (actually, he has). He doesn't say...

KING: Ken Mehlman? I've never heard that. But the question is...

MAHER: Maybe you don't go to the same bathhouse I do Larry.

KING: Why would someone who is gay take public anti-gay positions? Why would you do that?

MAHER: Because Larry, hating yourself is the greatest love of all.

Postscript: CNN edited the west coast feed of Larry King Live and cut out Bill Maher's comments outing RNC Chair Ken Mehlman. See the two versions on Towleroad.