WWYD colleague potentially outed?

[Mindmyownbusiness]

I've name changed to protect others involved incase anyone knows my username irl.

Apologies for this being a ramble. I've been trying to make up my mind as to what to do, if anything, for a couple of weeks.

A colleague revealed to me that they thought another colleague identified as LGBTQ. They stated it as fact that they were. At that point I told them I wasn't 'in the know' if they were and that they shouldn't spread that information about as it's not their information to tell. They didn't seem to understand. They're quite young and naïve and there is a language barrier.

Whilst in a modern society it shouldn't be a problem, the potentially outed colleague is Muslim. I identify as LGBTQ myself and have watched many Muslim friends go through family estrangement on account of it being haram.

So, do I tell potentially outed colleague that these things are being said about them so they can deal with any potential backlash? Whether they are LGBT is not my business, but they're a kind and lovely person and I would hate for them to experience hardship because someone is either spreading rumours or sharing information that isn't theirs to share.

Part of me also wonders if the outing colleague was fishing for me to say "yes, x is y". It was all a weird conversation I don't know how I got sucked into.

And of course, I am not saying all Muslims are anti-lgbt, I just don't know where my colleague and their family sit and if I can give them forewarning to protect themselves I should, right?

Don't you think they would want to know who was gossiping about them? It's bad enough to be told that someone is gossiping about you but even worse if you don't know who is doing it. What exactly would be achieved?

@dianthus101

Bazooka
I would have a conversation with the Muslim colleague about some office gossip you heard . I would not mention who said it, or who it was about. Just a not-directed-at-anybody heads up, and leave it at that.

Dianthus
Don't you think they would want to know who was gossiping about them? It's bad enough to be told that someone is gossiping about you but even worse if you don't know who is doing it. What exactly would be achieved?

As I said above, I would not tell them *YOU are being gossiped about."

If OP is out at work, she could mention there was some gossip about herself .

I think you did the right thing shutting it down, but anything else now would be overreaching and drama stirring on your part tbh.

So she wouldn't say what the gossip was or what it is about? What would that achieve?

Stay out of it. No good can come of being in the middle of all of this. If people say things like this to me I always say ‘oh right. I have no idea’ even if I do know as it’s not my business.