Insider or outsider?

Last week my book discussion group and I were talking a bit about how we felt about insider and outsider authors. I have to be honest, when I went into the conversation I had my view set on only insider authors can write about certain race, religion, etc. I thought this made sense because it is better to have the view of someone who is actually of that race to tell the story because they have the first hand on the situation.
However, when my other group members started sharing their opinions, I started to see the other side to the issue. They all felt that it shouldn't matter if the author is an insider or an outsider. I asked why they felt this way and they responded that as long as the outside author takes the time to get their facts straight about the issue and it would help if the outsider author took the time to get personal experiences from people who are of that race, religion, gender, etc.
As I listened to their thoughts it really opened my eyes to a new understanding of insider and outsider authors. I believe that it shouldn't matter if the author is an insider or an outsider. I believe that as long as they are knowledgeable about the subject then they should be allowed to write their book.
I hope I don't sound like a pushover when it comes to my opinions. I was just thankful that my group members shared their thoughts because otherwise I would still think that insider authors are the only ones who can write about their race, gender, etc. It opened my eyes to new ideas and thoughts. It is always good to hear how other people stand on an issue and they could even help you understand a different view point on the issue.