It’s interesting because when all that stuff happened with the AMA awards and that whole controversy about me kissing that guy and grabbing the other dude—it’s funny because there was a generational divide within the gay community. There were some more conservative gays that were like, “You shouldn’t be doing that. You’re painting us in a bad light, making us look trashy.” And I remember thinking to myself, as proud as I am to be a member of the gay and lesbian community, it’s not my job to paint a picture of the community. I’m only responsible for painting a picture of who I am as an individual. It was a confusing time, because as proud as I am, I’m not here to represent a group. I’m here to be an artist.
—Adam Lambert, again revisiting the moment that’ll he’ll forever be running away from [via]
Aaron
This is what happens when your own publicity stunts catch up with you.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Lambert is putting the word out that he is definatley available to perform Rush Windbag’s 9th wedding………… :-p
dm73
He’s right. He’s a pop star. He’s out. He never did the fake allusions of say a Clay Aiken. Just because you’re out doesn’t mean you have to be the spokesperson or a “credit to their kind” kind of person. He’s a performer not an activist. Queerty is misconstruing what he meant in the title. So every out personality has to be an activist too?
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
Running away from? WTF?
It is truly a shame that among the gay/lesbian community, Lambert just can’t win for just being himself. Queerty, what the fuck is your point? If he is preceived as “too” gay then he is an embarrassment; if he is preceived as “straight-acting” them he is a coward.
He is out and proud; does he not have the very same rights to live his own life, to the liberty of performing his art, and to enjoy his own happiness?
For one, I don’t find him attractive nor do I get his music, but hey, I’m 50 so what do I know. BUT I LOVE HIS FREE SPIRIT, LOVE HIS COURAGE TO BE HIMSELF, AND APPRECIATE HOW MUCH JUST BEING HIMSELF HE CONTRIBUTES TO YOUNG GAYS/LESBIANS AS A ROLE MODEL FOR SELF-AFFIRMING POSITIVE LIFE OF BEING GAY.
Alexander A.
He’s right. It’s NOT his job to represent “The Community”. It’s his job to represent himself and his own art. Just like it’s my job to represent myself, and if people take my actions to represent the whole of t”The Community”, well, that’s their own ignorance, not mine.
Michael Walker
Nope, not his job. If you want someone to represent you, start own parade.
Josh
He’s right, on this one. He’s responsible for himself, not an entire community.
Brandon H
I still don’t understand the big deal. He didn’t do anything worse than what Michael Jackson used to do, or that whole Britney/Madonna fiasco way back when.
lnf
Hi there, it’s high time to get off the Adam Lambert Bashing Wagon (we have ABC for that) and to start writing about his music. He is out and proud, never hid in the closet and he got carried away at a raunchy award event, which happened to have been televised. I am truly sorry about the AMAs for a different reason: he’ll never be himself again in this f**ing country, which I personally find too bad. He will always tailor his performances to the lowest common denominator, which means I have to save enough money to see him when he performs, as himself, in Germany or Holland. That said, I am a straight person (for the most part), living in Hollywood for the past XX years and can tell you that some of my best colleagues, bosses and friends are gay, including a childhood friend I grew up with. All everybody wants is to be able to have a life – THEIR life, not YOUR life. They want to do THEIR job, pay their taxes and not be labeled this or that or the other, whatever the label is. So do everybody a favor, find someone YOU want to represent you and your IDEAS and put his name on top of the candidacy form for City of WeHo City Council representation and build your campaign around him/her. There! Then you can criticize them all you want for not representing your idea of “the Community”. Adam is a person, a performer. He just happens to have been born gay. What are you gonna do – yank out his membership from the gay community for dues owed?
Gretchen
I don’t see how this guy Lambert can even say he’s part of the gay community to begin with. He has stated that he makes out with women. He states that he would probably ‘be with’ a woman if he had a few drinks.
Now if he were part of the “I’m gay only when it suits my needs” community, he could be the leader.
Wicked Glitter
There was a time not so long ago that I would have been furious about the ignorant, narrow-minded comments made by Queerty(done for the sole purpose of getting more readers)that I would have read that silly story about Adam, and had a fit. Complete with ranting raving, tears swearing ect. Now I read this crap, and I just think its funny. Thats what Adam has done for the gay community. He has helped so many people accept who they are. He has made it possible for so many people who feel like they don’t fit in realize that if they aren’t being accepted for who they are then thats not their fault, thats YOUR fault.
Wicked Glitter
@Gretchen, The day that you understand that there should be no ‘gay community, no ‘straight community’, no ‘black community’, no ‘white community’, no ‘Asian community’ , but just a community of people who are trying to live their own lives they way they choose to do so, is the day there might be some fucking hope for all of us.
Lanjier
Adam misread the criticism on this site, if that is where he was looking. People here mostly didn’t like the AMA performance because it was un-cool trashy, instead of stylish trashy. It wasn’t the trash. What gay guy — of any age — does not love trash?
Adam should just work hard and enjoy the ride. But I wonder if he has the right people around him giving him good, critical advice, instead of people who just say, “I love it!” He needs talent around him, not a bunch who would permit him to do something like that sloppy performance at the AMA’s. The most important thing that he has to do is to look and act cool. The leather and goth is getting a little old. Time for a new style – Jimmy Hendrix? Jim Morrison? it is all about style, and he needs some people around him who have a clue about what that is.
If he is being a brat and not listening to criticism, then fuck him.
Tweeterpie
Wicked Glitter is so right! We should NOT be divided by labels such as straight, gay, or bi-sexual…just like we shouldn’t be divided by labels such as black, white, asian, etc. We are all ONE COMMUNITY, or at least should STRIVE to be ONE. BESIDES, just like WE rarely fall into one group in our racial background or identity, the same is OFTEN true about our sexuality. Sexuality CAN be fluid you know. Just because I’m a woman in love with my husband TODAY, DOESN’T MEAN that if he were to die someday, that I couldn’t POSSIBLY meet a beautiful person in the future that happens to be a woman. LOVE IS LOVE!(*Just in case you’re wondering,I’ve never actually been with a woman but would never rule it out. Luckily I never ruled out dating outside my race either or else I may not have found my wonderful husband of 30+ yrs.) We are all just everyday people looking for happiness….and as IMPERFECT HUMANS we are bound to make mistakes along the way. I’m sure you have too! Sometimes in the search for OUR TRUE SELVES we make some wrong turns. Adam IS JUST BEING HONEST about his feelings, which is a lot more than most people can do. I GREATLY ADMIRE HIM…I REALLY DO!
Gretchen
@Wicked Glitter:
I agree with you about the term “community”, so you don’t have to give me a lesson on it. I was only quoting what Adam himself said in his quote above. So apparently it is not ME that needs to learn not to use the term. 😉
I do though stand by what I said. If he claims to be gay, then he should be. If he’s bi, then that is fine too, but he claims to be gay and yet talks about being with women. That is not a gay man.
Tweeterpie
One additional thought….I’ve often pondered this question,”If the flambouyant and artistic people that so readily get labeled as “being gay” when growning up, were to be actually accepted for just being who they were and had both sexes showing interest in them, would they necessarily “be gay”? I think the answer to that question would probably be, “NOT NECESSARILY!” I think sometimes people BECOME WHAT THEY ARE LABELED. Maybe it just becomes SELF-FULLFILLING because they don’t feel that they have the option. Teens are afraid of rejection and PEER PRESSURE is fierce. If a girl is attracted to a flambouyant guy, she is afraid to approach him for fear of rejection (because he might be gay?) A straight, but flambouyant guy, may really actually like a girl, but be afraid to approach her because he fears rejection. He probably worries she might think he’s gay because everybody says he is, even though he’s NOT. Do you see what I’m getting at? Maybe if Adam wasn’t so insecure as a teenager and experienced more with either sex- he wouldn’t be just a single label. He didn’t even have his first guy on guy experience until he was 21 and has only been “in love once”. The fact that he is attracted to women and makes out with occassionally shows me that he’s open to possibly experiencing more with them. Who knows?! Maybe if he were to experience woman, he would decide he is definately GAY, like he truly believes he is, OR he may learn that he could actually REALLY LOVE whoever he happens to be in love with. It’s NOT ALWAYS JUST BLACK & WHITE. Sometimes it’s many shades of grey. I think that is a good thing! Who ever ADAM chooses to love and be with is HIS BUSINESS and NO ONE ELSES. Gay guys or women don’t OWN other guys and shouldn’t be so critical of them if they don’t act exactly like you want them to. WE ARE WHO WE ARE! If more people accepted one another just they way they were, who knows what the future would hold?!Is that what you are afraid of?
Alan
So, Gretchen, if I want to kiss a girl for the hell of it I am no longer a gay man?
What do you know, Gretchen has discovered the cure for my gayness! Let me just wonder over here and kiss this here random girl…smooch.
Yay, it worked, I am straight now!
Moron.
Rich
@Alan:
Your mother doesn’t count.
I think you know exactly what Gretchen meant but it’s obvious that your issues run very deep.
MMDD
@lnf: “Never hid in a closet”? He went back into the closet the entire time he was on American Idol and didn’t come back out till the show was over. How quickly some people forget!
MMDD
@Alan: No, Alan, actually YOU are the moron. Gretchen makes a perfectly valid point. A man is known by his actions, not his words. Adam likes to go out of his way to kiss women, make out with women, and even pose with naked women that he’s French kissing and fondling in magazines. Sorry, but he has WAY too much sexual interest in women to be a gay man. If he’s bi, so be it; but stop with that “Look at me, I’m a gay guy who loves making out with chicks” bullshit once and for all.
Ricky
@Gretchen: Dear, you need to learn what “quoting” actually entails. As you did not repeat what he said in his statement, that is not a quote. You paraphrased. There is a difference. Apparently, you need to be educated on something after all.
SFNative
It’s one thing to not want to represent a group, but it’s another thing entirely to not want to help fight for LGBT civil rights and equality as an LGBT person, and it doesn’t appear that Adam addressed this specifically in his quote above.
As long as we are not equal, we should be fighting to get equal. Anything less is a direct compromise on our citizenship in America.
Fluffygrl
What’s with all the over-analysis and the nastiness? I’m a lesbian…so that’s where this little rave is comin’ from AND I am tired of some members of the gay’community’ (whatever that is)picking on Adam. He can do nothing right in some people’s eyes. He has hate from the conservative Christians and to top it all off, he gets hate from the very people who should be supporting him. He’s always been out – when on the show he was not allowed to talk to the press…he is a great role model for us all because he is true to himself. He is a good, kind, positive, clever person and a hugely gifted singer as well. I love him for his gorgeous personality and I am happy that he is just being himself. Who says you can’t be a ‘real’ gay if you kiss someone of the opposite sex once in a while. No one has the right to tell me (or Adam) what is ‘real’ gay! He has never had relationships with women but I love the way he respects and celebrates women – very modern and very cool.
Deb
@Gretchen: When the hell does “being gay” suit anyone’s NEEDS?? Being “different” and having ignorant a-holes tear you down all thru life…wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Adam is just trying to live the best life he possible can (and doing a damn great job)..why the f**k should it matter who he chooses to make out with??
Evan
@Gretchen: That’s ridiculous. Lots of gay men have been with women. A lot of those would do it again. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the majority had at least kissed a girl. None of that means they’re bi in the sense that adults who actually identify as bi mean when they say it.
At most, gay guys like Adam Lambert are “bi” like the straight “bi-curious” girls so ubiquitous in college. And make no mistake, those girls are straight. They just like to have some completely meaningless fun with their friends when they’re drunk.
swarm
Fuck you Qeerty. More bullshit from bloggers who don’t have a clue what they are talking about. No doubt in my mind that whatever jackass wrote this headline is a Gaga fan out to denigrate Adam Lambert without even knowing the first thing about him.
You probably actually BELIEVE Gaga’s lie about her faux bisexuality just like you believe Obama is secretly in favor of gay marriage.
Gaga has said she never loved a woman and will marry a man. It was even a headline HERE. Get over it. She loves your money.
Adam Lambert couldn’t be more publically queer. He talks about it till he’s blue in the face INTERNATIONALLY since every single interview he’s given in every country focuses on it. Every time he performs he includes references. He continues to be bashed all over the internet for being gay by haters even on iTunes reviews. Disc jockeys refer to him as “she” and mock him then pretend they’re “kidding”.
You assholes turned the corner on him after the AMAs and realized his internal strength but now? Screw you all I’m not sticking up for you anymore. Jealous queens, an old hateful sterotype, has returned to my lexicon.
My biggest wish is for NO gay marriage, NO repeal of DADT and not a single INCH of progress for LGBT throughout the remainder of Obama’s term. You don’t deserve anything especially when you fail to focus on actual ENEMIES (LIKE OBAMA) instead of this sweet, kind boy doing the best he fucking can.
Wait, I take that back – I should say GBT since Lesbians love Adam.
http://twitpic.com/1v6gty
Jneedsamorepersonalusername
@lnf: THIS THIS THIS.
Cal
Can someone please inform me what the gay community feels about how Lambert portrays their causes when NOT performing. Sheesh, I would think that Lambert’s very obvious (after all the press, interviews, etc.) intelligence, articulateness, kindness, worldliness, awareness, honestly… all that stuff – I would think the gay community would be very content to have a proud out gay man living their life and being all those things just because he IS those things, without displaying them artificially. I would think that this notion of Lambert being an “accidental pioneer” without being all in your face about it would be really appealing to the gay community… because it just kind of speaks to NORMALCY, ‘ya know, Lambert is just his everyday self while possessing these good qualitites and it comes off as quite normal, and isn’t that how the gay community would want their members to be seen. I don’t know if I’m expressing myself correctly and lucidly, but I’m really curious about this fact. Geez, to me, Lambert is this sweet, smart, well spoken guy who is bringing a, to some, untraditional way of living and being into normalcy, I would think that would be uber attractive to the gay community. I have 3 male gay friends who all have lifetime partners, they are 3 of the most QUALITY people I’ve ever known in my life and 5 of the 6 men are quite conservative in lifestyle, occupation, etc., and I love them, but they are quite accepted in their communities but I’m sure their, for lack of a better word, “low-keyness” is at least partly to do with that … Lambert is (and I hate this word but Lambert uses it himself to describe himself) flamboyant but yet continually being seen as this great normal guy living his life and being a good person, that sort of thing, all while being much less than mainstream as my 5 gay male friends are, so a much harder road to hoe, and I think he’s doing a great job of making what many have previously considered an “alternative” lifestyle seem quite normal and acceptable. Am I ignorant? Is this not a good thing? School me, yell at me, inform me – I’m open to it. Again, I’m talking about Lambert the non-performer here… because a quality person should not only be measured by their occupation and their performance within the confines of their occupation, if that were the case then there are many politicians, corporate businessmen, entertainment industry people, business entreprenaurs, etc. who we would see as scum instead as successful.
Chris
Just as absurd the notion that Brittney represents the community of heterosexual women, it is equally absurd that Adam Lambert should represent the community of homosexual men.
Chris
Just as absurd the notion that Brittney represents the community of heterosexual women, it is equally absurd that Adam Lambert represents the community of homosexual men.
Chris
oops, sorry for the double post, haha
swarm
No. 28 · Cal
Can someone please inform me what the gay community feels about how Lambert portrays their causes when NOT performing.
Oh I can. They couldn’t care less. They don’t care how he acts when performing either tho. Because they’d have to admit that their argument is invalid. Especially on THIS site they refuse to acknowledge that the only way to equality is to be OUT en masse in the community as a NORMAL PERSON. Instead, they want to rave on about “marches” and people like GAGA making a 20 second speech as “really significant” You are talking to weak minded sheep who think Obama is “secretly in favor of gay marriage”. Go read other threads You’ll learn that this comm lives in it’s own world.
While Queerty’s busy bashing Kyle M on another thread, for premiering her new video on Logo, they bash Adam who just got the HUGE HONOR of being the FIRST ARTIST EVER on VH1’S NEW INAUGURAL POSTING PAGE, featuring him for an entire month. SOLO.
Like I said before, nobody accuses Queerty of posting anything close to factual or relevant. Especially regarding Adam. He will be ICONIC without the help of LGBT. They did nothing for him during or SINCE Idol. (not including Larry Flick)
ewe
Sorry Adam Lambert but the fact is nobody even cares. You just don’t have what is often referred to as “it”.
swarm
OH LOOK. Adam Lambert’s VH1 Posted page (the first artist to have one) has a section that says “Thanks for the mancandy, Gaga” about her (stupid) video.
Oh he’s so NOT gay enough. I mean, really. NOT INTERESTED in “REPRESENTING” gay life at all.
http://www.vh1.com/music/posted/adam-lambert/#fbid=QeZwEfnwa4v
swarm
No. 33 · ewe
Sorry Adam Lambert but the fact is nobody even cares. You just don’t have what is often referred to as “it”.
LMAO @ewe. Yeah, that’s why VH1 requested him to be the PREMIER ARTIST featured on their new Posted application.
And why his 70 tour concerts sell out in minutes. Try harder.
You are trolling a queer blog asserting that he is SO IMPORTANT to the LGBT world, so if it’s true nobody cares then why is it an issue?
Dollie
Wow! Apparently Queerty readers are more than infatuated with Adam Lambert. These are the longest comments I think I have ever read (or didn’t read, too long).
I was actually really proud of Adam for doing what he did at the AMAs. Gay men are far-too-often desexualized and “sanitized” by the media (Queer Eye, any show that is not on Showtime and has gay characters)… and it’s disappointing. Whether he meant to or not, I think he did a profound thing for the “gay community” by refusing to become one of these “here to make you look good, gay bff, doesn’t have a sex life” stars.
However, I am saddened to see how quickly he has been written off as a “gay artist” since the beginning of his career, by gays and straights alike. It’s not his job or responsibility to represent the gay community. The boy can belt out some impressive notes and put on a great pop show. That’s what he wanted to do, and it is unfair of us to expect him to jump on our political bandwagon. He’s out and proud, if that’s all he wants to contribute- it’s already more than other stars have.
MMDD
@Evan: Evan, it’s true many gay men have been with women (that’s not unusual), but those “gay” guys you’re referring to who have been with women and have no problem getting with them again are BISEXUALS, dude. You go there and you like it enough to keep going back? Doesn’t take a scientist to figure that one out. These guys are bisexual but don’t want to admit it because bisexual males are stigmatized more than gays.
And for what it’s worth, there are bisexual guys out there who identify as gay because they know it will actually INCREASE their chances of getting in a girl’s pants. I participate in a forum where a lot of bisexual guys post, and several have said they do this. They get lucky with girls all the time because there’s no shortage of straight gals out there who are all too eager to bed a gay guy and bring him over to the “other side.”
I’m not saying this describes Adam necessarily, but it does happen.
SAMe
Lambert is a circus freak.
Red
@MMDD:
@MMDD
Adam is a 28 years old guy and he never dated a girl. There’s a certain point at which experimentation/curiosity being masked under the cover of inexperience and youthful indiscretion cannot be taken seriously. If Adam was truely attracted to both sexes, he would have been dated girls. He has been living in Hollywood for years and he must have met PLENTY of hot girls to date. And It’s so much easier for a bi guy to find girlfriends. That’s why I don’t believe that he is genuinely bi.
Adam has already appeared at gay events such as GLAAD awards, Sydney Mardi Gras, G-A-Y London, Attitude magazine party. He has talked about his attraction to boys more openly than practically any other gay male artist I can think of. Isn’t that enough? Remind me NOT to come out of the closet if I ever become a celebrity. NOTHING is ever good enough for the “gay leaders”. Honestly, how many gay artists before him have ever been so open? Not many. It is hardly realistic to expect gay artists/actors to become full-fledged gay activists when they are trying to establish their own careers. I think that the gay community should just be glad for those artists who are ballsy enough to be openly gay in the fist place and stop trying to put extra weight on their shoulders.
Nat. Warfield
very sad, I have been following a lambert for a little while, as a result, have run across gay issues, and news. I don’t know much about the gay community, but what I have found?
pettiness, nastiness, jealousy, small-mindiness
more that any gay hate I have ran across, and that’s saying something.
Who would want to support this?
You don’t have to find him attractive(which seems what most gay people care about?? how hot someone is? really?)I saw another post here about Tim Urban, and how you did not care if he could sing or not, he was cute to look at….are gay men tween girls?
You have to think about how people see things, he has peaked a lot of straight peoples interest, as a result that interest leaks into the gay community, I have to be honest, you guys are not representing yourselves as whole too well right now.
Because, when you see him in reference to gay comms
mostly what you see is, negativity, and name calling, and jabs..
and I think, are you serious? I have left my comfort zone to embrace this guy..and all his gay comm can talk about how he looks, and what has he done for them lately?
very rarely have I seen,
hey look how awesome, lambert and his fans raised, over 250,000 for charity.
look at that, lambert had a top 10 billboard hit, despite the nay-sayers
wow look this, lambert is still making steady sales, despite, illegal downloading and being a out gay recording artist in today’s society.
wow did you see that performance? he album, may not be my style, but he can sing as good as anyone else.
oh hey, lambert, has sold out tours, despite the fact in several big names have canceled theirs, and some are not selling at all..
(I mean you have straight dads, bringing their daughters to his concerts, how awesome is that?)
oh look, lambert is doing a decent job of charting well internationally, despite being a new and unknown artist.
wow, look at that, vh1 has chosen him first for a new special project…
I know gossip blogs do not represent all gay people, but its what people see when looking up lambert.
If you think lambert, turns you off, to a lot of us, I have to be honest, the gay community, turns us off.
What you have here is potential support for your causes, and you spend more time bashing some singer that using that support to your advantage.
although I actually read what he(lambert)actually said, which was manipulated and misconstrued in this blogs heading. My question is: Why should he have to represent a community, that cares so little for him?
You don’t want to have anything to do with him, but you want to hate him for something you should get off you butts and do your selves..? I have learned in following lambert, that gay men do seem to enjoy cannibalizing other gay men.
This guy is one of the few, to have the courage to come out before he has even started his career…where is the respect for that?
He has to deal with people who hate him, for being gay, and he has to deal with a community who hate for not being straight enough, so to speak,(normal).
You don’t have to like him or his music, but is the cannibalizing and negativity worth it? you are bringing negativity to your very own causes. Society will continue to suppress those who suppress themselves.
And really?, let him get to a point in his career, where he can actually wield some power. He is just starting out, and he is fighting a uphill battle against homophobia, being different, and a new artist, now you want to add more weight to his journey?
Him just being out there, is a tremendous step in awareness.
He *is very different, gay or straight, he caught my attention because he was so different, yet its the straight people who are embracing him the most. I find that both enlightening and sad.