It’s that time of year again: When Out magazine publishes its annual Power List—and then the critics pounce! This year there are some obvious omissions that seem to have people frothing. A quick read through the comments so far have people asking: No Rosie O’Donnell? No Michelangelo Signorile? No Adam Lambert? No Chris Colfer?
And where’s Dustin Lance Black? Not only did he produce staged readings of his play 8 with all-star casts, which raised millions for charity, he also wrote the screenplay for the biggest gay-themed studio film, J. Edgar.
Then there’s the problem with the “closeted” bunch on the list. Many feel that if you’re not publicly out, you have no place on a power list. By our count, there seem to be at least five. Starting with No. 1: As far as we can tell Tim Cook has still remained publicly mum on his gayness. And don’t get us started with Anderson Cooper (No. 6)… His inclusion (he’s been in the Top 10 since the start) always causes kvetching. And this year is no different. But, just in case you want to make your voice heard, the guys over at Out have included a poll with a spot for a write-in candidate. So now you can’t say that no one cares.
QJ201
I’d rather read about the top 100 people doing the most powerful things that benefit LGBT people, rather than more star gazing.
Hector
There are no powerful “LGBT people” in America because there is no such thing as “LGBT people.” Say gay and lesbian and stop trying to associate gay people with crossdressers and transsexuals.
Jesse
NPH powerful? Like him but LOL!
Chadboy
OUT needs to learn the definition of “power”. Just because a person is in the spotlight which most of these celebs are doesn’t necessarily equate to power. This list is really no different than the annual OUT 100 list which is always filled with actors, stylists, models, artists, designers….the entertainment elite with a politician or businessman thrown in here and there. The real power players are the bankers, producers, lawyers, publicists that aren’t as visible. These people are pulling the strings, but never make these sorts of lists. OUT always goes for the low hanging fruit (pun intended)that are so obvious.
Clockwork
The most powerful LGBT person in America is —>>>> YOU
Marco
@Hector:
Good to see ignorance and bigotry.
Hyhybt
If someone lives their lives openly, why is it still considered necessary for them to make a formal public “I’m gay” announcement to be considered out?
Jon
Where is Chi Chi LaRue?
cam
Amazing how they can ignore the people who pushed civil rights forward in favor of imitating a typical “People Magazine” article.
John McLaren
Where is RACHEL MADDOW…a out, proud and very vocal commentator on gay issues on her show that reaches viewers nationally?
WillBFair
This is another example of mainstream queer values: power and celebrity worship. Quelle suprise.
I’d prefer a list of kind or educated lgbt folk who serve the community or make a possitive contribution to the larger society. I know a ton of them just locally, but they’ll never get on this rube list.
Chance
@ John McLaren…Rachel Maddow is #5 on the list if you follow the link to the actual list. Queerty just didn’t mention her in their article about the list.
RedRoseQueen1
As a straight older female, I can tell you from my total immersion in the Adam Lambert fandom that he MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Many, MANY people, gay and straight, male and female have said that by being out, loud and proud and making no apologies but just entertaining with his amazing vocal and stage presence, Lambert has given them a new appreciation for gay men in particular and for anyone who is perceived as “different” or other than “mainstream”.
Yes, he is a celebrity but he is so much MORE as well. He is a philanthropist and uses his celebrity as a platform to combat issues with much-needed water in third world countries as well as with the “Trevor Project” to combat bullying.Yet I (and most of his fans) do not feel that he receives the recognition he richly deserves from his own community.I have gay friends and while I love them dearly….many of you are your own (and each others!) worst enemy! EMBRACE the out and proud/visible instead of all the hissing and scratching!Seriously. Now.
1equalityUSA
Rick Perry was sure forgotten in a hurry
Petey
Adam Lambert is nowhere as popular as his fans make him out to be. His fans act like he’s this male pop superstar who is rivaling Katy Perry and Rihanna on the charts… he had one big hit two years ago. He is hardly this major gay superstar that some people want him to be.
Chris Colfer’s absence makes sense too. Kurt is honestly done more negative for the gay community than positive. I know gay people who seriously believe the character was meant to incite homophobia… and considering the bullying and everything that’s exploded since Glee got popular amongst the target audience, he obviously has.
Not sure
Add Adam Lamber, Brent Corrigan, Brent Everett and Adam Bouska. Remove Perez.
jason
This list proves that OUT magazine is fake. It’s more of a trivial celebrity list, sort of what you would find in that other piece of triviality, People magazine.
These sorts of trivial lists do nothing for our community. OUT is fake.
RedRoseQueen1
@Petey: Lambert’s fans have no need to paint him as a “superstar”….The International community has already established him as one.He will be appearing with Brian May and Roger Taylor as Queen+ Adam Lambert for 4 concerts so far…two at the Hammersmith Apollo in London in July and one in Kiev,Ukraine (where Elton John will also be on the bill) and another in Poland.The 2 in London sold out in mere minutes so May and Taylor are considering adding a third.Think on it…Queen can invite ANY singer alive to join them and they chose Lambert.They have total respect for his artistry and abilities.
While I realize that there are all too many “Ugly Americans” who feel like the USA is the ONLY country that matters….that just is not the case. There are 196 countries in the world.And FYI, the USA does NOT always have “the best” of everything.Lambert’s sophomore album “Trespassing” will officially be released May 15th. He IS an amazing artist with a staunch and loyal following who are all too willing to become involved in whatever civic/philanthropic endeavor he chooses.Please do not under-value or underestimate him or his impact.
Petey
Adam doesn’t even write his own music. He was supposed to be this “rock” guy and yet he is as pop as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Lemme guess, if you like Adam, you probably also like Nickelback and Maroon 5, right? That’s about the same housewife/soccer mom crowd that one would expect to like Adam and think he is a kickass rock star. Lambert may be singing for Queen, but no serious rock fan (and by that, I mean people who don’t live in trailers and not get enough sex) would put him in Freddie’s league.
janice
You forgot to mention Anderson Cooper.
janice
Oh sorry. You did mention Anderson.
amo
Anyone know if any of these people are bi or trans? Or is it just a list of powerful gays and some people who are presumed to be LGBQ?
SixPackWallpapers
Why no ricky martin?
ADAMFAN
@Petey: Actually he wrote 12 out of 15 songs on his new album which, by the way, is awesome.
Matti09
@QJ201: lol 2 shay!
Matti09
I am very proud there are so many Gay Rich People… Truth is there has always been powerful Gay Peeps; Socrates, Leonardo Di Vinci, Liberace, Versace , and many many many more! NOW lets see what they do with that FAME & FORTUNE!
J Stratford
I agree with #1 – Tim Cook is gay and he has power and uses it big time. Apple/iTunes being anti-homophobic is Tim Cook in action without taking the credit for it. He doesnt have to say “I’m gay” on TV, he already is and has been out to everyone who asks. He is an old man – people his age were never given the chance to come out gay when they were younger, so I would give him a break.
#6 Anderson has power. Did he come out? No. Is he gay? Yes. He has been on this list for 10 years now and has never denied his gayness. Do I want him to come out publicly? Yes. Is he a power gay? Yes – he has tons of power and he is gay (and doesnt deny it).
RLS
This list is too arbitrary to have any kind of feeling about one way or the other, and Out is SO over there needs to be a new word for how over it is.
NEXT!
Frankiewray
@John McLaren: She is # 5…………
RedRoseQueen1
@Petey: Oh Petey….Your ignorance is showing.Why did you feel the need to resort to personal insults? That just reeks of desperation.You ignorantly (and wrongly) assert that he doesn’t write his own music. He wrote 8 of the 12 tracks on his new album and wrote several on his first. He also co-wrote “Crawl Through Fire” BEFORE Idol and you can see him perform it at the Zodiac Show on YouTube.
While he can sing the hell out of rock, unfortunately rock isn’t what sells now…hence all the “classic rock” stations that have sprung up in the last 2 or 3 decades.
As for my own musical tastes, I love classic rock, everything from Judas Priest to Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Dio,Van Halen (esp. with Sammy) GNR, ELO, BTO,Queen,Rush,Pink Floyd,Moody Blues,Kinks,CCR,The Beatles, Stones, Eagles, etc. I do NOT like M5 nor Nickelback.I’m not fond of MOST pop nowadays.Adam is in a league of his own there.
When a voice like Adam’s comes along, every other generation or so, it blows all others out of the water.
As for the rest of your attempt to stereotype me,I’m neither a “housewife” nor a “soccer mom”….I live in a large split-level home and own 3 more PAID homes down in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.They are for sale if you’re interested and can afford it.I’m an educated, retired professional (white collar)
Finally, as for your statement re: “do not get enough sex” Hahaha! My Italian/musician husband would laugh in your face…as do I!
Oh, and as far as putting Adam in the same league as Freddie, you bet your azz! Brian May and Roger Taylor AGREE.In fact, Taylor called Adam’s voice “unparalleled” Good day!
Marielle
@Petey: You are entitled to your own opinion, but Adam Lambert does write his own music. I find his song Aftermath one of the most beautiful songs I know (the acoustic live version that is, NOT the recorded version).
Marielle
@Petey: Oh, and I like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Eva Cassidy, classical music AND Adam Lambert. There’s trailer trash for you.
Tom
@ No. 27 · J Stratford
Tim Cook was born November 1, 1960, that would make 51 years old, as I write this on April 28, 2012.
With all the homophobia we all have faced in the past, and continue to face, isn’t saying someone who is only 51 years old, (by making the statement: “He is an old man “), reeking of ageism? Do we need our own 20-somethings and 30-somethings participating in this type of negative speech, when in years shorter than they will ever be able to realize, they will be in their 50’s, if they even make it that far?. If Tim Cook were 85, I could go with a “senior citizen” declaration, but to call someone in their early 50’s “an old man” is very ignorant. J. Stratford can only hope he makes it to 51 years old, and then some. I am 54 years old, and I was 30 or 35 only a mere moment ago. It went by like the snap of your fingers. And never mind that gay folks in their 50’s faced a much larger challenge in their earlier lives by being “out” than do the majority of young ones today. The first thing that the baby boomers deserve is a little bit of respect for making it intact through much more homophobic and difficult times, through the onslaught of HIV when so many of our friends died, and the last thing they need is to be dismissed and disenfranchised from the gay community at large, because they happen to have made it past the big 5-0.
Drew
LMAO ChiChi LaRue isn’t any sort of powerful LGBT person, he/she is just a drag queen who makes boring porn.
Hector is a bigot and Trans people as well as bisexuals should be included with gays and lesbians. To think that it should only be gay men and lesbian women is a pointless sepratist ghetto mentality that died out in the 70s.
Dallas David
@Hector: If there weren’t any drag queens in America, there’d be no LGBT rights. Yep, it was the drag queens who got the ball rolling back in the 1960’s. So I’m glad they were on the job standing up for everyone’s rights, and I’m happy to be associated with LGBT people regardless of how butch, nelly, mary, or etc they are (or we are).
Just sayin’ . . .
Dallas David
@Tom: What I haven’t figured out yet is why so many younger folks won’t watch black & white videos. Lots of ’em just won’t do it . . .
Not that it’s any big deal for me, but gee, they’re missing out on lots of really great shows! (Ed Sullivan comes to mind) . . .
C’est la vie, I suppose . . .
Dallas David
@1equalityUSA: Who?
RedRoseQueen1
@Tom: I must applaud your comments Tom. You are SPOT ON re: ageism being alive and well in America. Not only in the LGBT community but the hetero one as well.As a culture,when will people learn to VALUE experience/wisdom/maturity?
We (rightly so!) abhor pedophiles…yet age 18-30 seem to be the ONLY ages when we are relevant or revered. After that, we’re relegated to being “invisible” or “insignificant”.
Talk about a sick society!
I adored my little Italian Grandma and spent MANY days and nights listening to her witty/pithy observations and comments about life both in “the old country” and in the USA. After she passed…my own Mom took up the slack and I learned to appreciate her often caustic (New York) but always spot-on observations and analysis.People of ANY persuasion,ethnicity,etc…who dismiss those older than them out of hand are the REAL losers. They have no idea of the riches they’re missing.As a “boomer” myself, I thank you and am also glad to have “made it!” ;D
jason
Ellen has used the “I’m a lesbian” notion to make a lot of money. I doubt that a man who said “I’m gay” would make as much money as she has. Typical double standard, one which Ellen has exploited.
Keep in mind that Ellen has had homphobes on her show. She has supported the career of a known homophobe. She’s a bitch.
Marielle
@jason: Would you care to elaborate on that? The support of a known homophobe I mean.
Tom
@ No. 38 · RedRoseQueen1
Thank you for your most eloquent post, I’m glad at least somebody “got it”, in regards to my post. In looking at post numbers 39 and 40, not many did “get it”. To call Ellen Degeneres a bitch, without an understanding of how much she has done for the gay community at large, is pure lack of education, and therefore ignorance. But I digress.
I am proud to be the age I am (see post # 33), I am very blessed to have made it through a time when so many of my brothers did not. The 20’s/30’s gay men now may indeed have an edge on “pretty”, but time marches on you young Turks, very quickly. They will be the ones on the short end of the stick when 50 smacks them in the face, and the then 20’s/30’s guys look past them and dismiss them as irrelevant. Karma is a bitch, and paybacks are a bitch. Get ready for the ride young pretty ones, because it’s coming, unless of course you die first, which I hope you don’t.
“Death plucks at my ear and says, live, for I am coming” – Vergil
Hyhybt
@Tom: Where does this leave those of us about to leave our 30s without ever having been “pretty ones?”
Chance
Hell, there are some of us who are only just approaching 30 who have never been “pretty” and have been ignored and/or marginalized by the rest of the “gay community” since first becoming a part of it.
RedRoseQueen1
@Tom: You’re most welcome Tom. As a woman a decade older than yourself, I can tell you that I know FIRST HAND how it feels to have the outer beauty fade while the inner beauty blossoms.I’ve noticed that when people look PAST the skin-deep with me….they see the TRUE soul…my BEING and they appreciate and even love/admire it.
As do I.There’s a richness of wisdom and experience that can ONLY come with age.And while a hot-house rose may be visually perfect….it has no fragrance/substance. The natural wild rose in it’s full bloom is what takes the breath away and gives us the hope of the renewal of spring.Would I like to look as I did in my 20’s again? Sure! But not if the trade-off is being shallow and ill-informed/arrogant/self-absorbed. I much prefer the ME I am now. I have your back my friend.
And to No.42 (Hyhybt) and No. 43 (Chance) I’d say TRUE beauty is INSIDE…at any age.One is only “marginalized” when one hasn’t the courage and self-awareness yet to stand up to the world and say “Here I AM world, take me or leave me but I LOVE MYSELF and you will never take THAT away!”
Think on it…some very physically beautiful people have taken their own lives.Most also financially and/or commercially “successful” What was missing? SELF WORTH.
Chance
@ RedRoseQueen1 Very true! That is just one of the reasons why I have pretty much excluded myself from the gay community. I am politically active in gay causes and such, but I find honestly that straight guys and women (straight and lesbian) are more willing to accept me for who I am than almost any gay guys I have ever known. I have had some gay male friends and a few ill-fated relationships, but…I know who I am and I have friends who accept me, even if I can only count on one hand the number of gay guys who I have ever been able to count as friends.
kranbree
Anderson Cooper #6
Don Lemon #58
Seriously???
I’m embarrassed for this publication!!!
RedRoseQueen1
@Chance: Thanks for the response Chance. We (humans in general) can count ourselves lucky if at the end of the day, we have even ONE TRUE friend who loves us for ourselves. Straight,gay, doesn’t matter. I just got off the phone with one-half of a gay couple who’ve been friends of mine and my husband’s for years and they’ve been together THIRTY-FIVE YEARS! That’s a feat for ANY 2 people! They have very few gay couples as friends, mostly straight couples are who they party/dine/vacation with. That is not an anomaly.Adam Lambert was not “whining” when he said what he did about being an openly gay male pop singer today.He was making a TRUE statement on a personal level.Gays eat their own.It needs to stop. <3
Jesse555
All these lists of the most “Powerful” end up insulting people who have made great contributions. Adam Lambert isn’t just a pop star. He was the first openly gay male to be signed to a major record label from the start. No one did that before. All the others (Elton, George, Melissa, etc) did so when they had made their millions and were established. Adam had everything to lose, but came out on Rolling Stone anyway. He almost lost his career again, when he did what Many female pop stars do all the time…get a little nasty. He has since been minding his manners and done what he can to support the LGBT community. Is it too much to ask to give him a little support. He sings circles around all the divas vocally – sorry, but true….Gaga, Katy, Rhianna, Selena, etc. Outsings and out classes them all. But straight Gaga gets worshiped for BTW, and Adam gets nada for Outlaws of Love, Trespassing, Aftermath….. Yes, Adam does belong on your “Most Powerful…..List” Don’t minimize his influence because he is “just a singer.”
Ty
@Jesse555: Adam was the first openly gay solo male pop star possibly, but Scissor Sisters were signed to EMI when Jake Shears and co. were out of the closet from the start.
My main prob with Adam is the way his fans belittle everything that isn’t Idol-oriented. On another Adam post, I saw fans of his bash Scissor Sisters and George Michael. People forget that SS have had huge gay male support from the start, they even toured with Gaga. The difference is that SS make music that appeals to gay and lesbian audiences, Adam is very “straight-washed” and is more appealing to middle of the road heterosexuals. Straight women coming into a gay board and slamming other gay artists in favor of Adam would be like them bashing Queer As Folk for not being Glee. I don’t like manufactured top 40 pop music (and I don’t care much for people like Gaga or Katy Perry either) so I don’t understand why and how as an openly gay male I should be a fan of Adam’s music. I’d rather support people like Jake Shears and Jay Brannan who are also out but also much more the type of music I can get behind.
Chance
The thing about Adam is, before Idol he was a bit edgier and more rock than manufactured top 40, to use the words of another poster here. I am openly gay and a fan of Adam, and though I prefer him with an edgier sound…as evidenced by the fact that he went on Idol in the first place, he wants to make it big. And while there are edgy rock artists who are big…the record label wants to be able to make their money, and a mainstream sound that appeals to “pop” sensibilities is what they think will sell when they are marketing an openly gay guy who wears leather and rocks eyeliner. I am hoping that he can eventually make it big enough to start producing music that is a bit more who he is and who he has the potential to be. Perhaps once he has made enough money for the record company, they will let him have more control…
Jesse555
@Ty and @Chance – First off – I detest American Idol. 2nd, I love the SS and GM! So don’t stereotype me and I won’t stereotype you. Have you listened to the snippets off Adam’s new album? Very edgy, very funky, and 3 are directly written for the LGBT community. Gays think they don’t need straight support? Think again. I am just as pissed as you about being pigeon-holed and stereotyped. Go to iTunes and listen to the snippets on Trespassing Regular – not Deluxe. Why are we fighting here?
Chance
Jesse…I think you missed my point completely. I was not trying to be down on Adam or anything you said about him…I was defending Adam and his credibility against what Ty said. I am a huge fan of Adam. I support everything he does, though I am not particularly fond of Idol (I won’t go so far as to say I detest it, just don’t really care for it and haven’t watched it regularly since season 2). I have yet to hear Adam’s new album, but am waiting patiently for it to come out, because I don’t really deal well with just a song here and there, I am waiting to be able to put the CD into my CD player and listen to it all the way through. I never said that he doesn’t write/sing stuff that attracts the LGBT community or that isn’t for the LGBT community. And I DO agree that Adam needs straight support, because the gods KNOW there are not enough people in the LGBT community to completely support any artist who is ever going to truly make it big.
Ty
@Jesse555:
I gave Adam’s first album an open mind listen because I wanted to see a gay pop star become huge, but was turned off by how generic and manufactured his album sounded. For a guy who kept namedropping Bowie and Freddie Mercury as influences, why did his album sound more like Train and Maroon 5? I know it was done to be “safe”, but it does irk me when straight women come on a gay board and then go and bash the likes of SS and Jay Brannan for not being top 40 and beloved by straight America. SS have a lot of the same influences Adam claims, but they’re not afraid to sound as camp as they look and they aren’t going to completely sell out (even though some will argue “Only The Horses” is) just so they can be all over radio, they know straight America are never going to fully embrace them.
Jesse555
@Ty: Adam’s first album was done on his days off on a grueling Idol Tour. He was just handed songs and told to sing. Please listen to the snippets from his new album – Trespassing (Regular) – at iTunes. Adam is brilliant. Trust me on this.
Jesse555
@Chance: I am so sorry – I didn’t read your comment fully. I apologize! Adam is brilliant. Listen to the snippets from Trespassing (regular) at iTunes!
Ty
@Jesse555:
Well artists are allowed crap albums if they do improve. I actually will give Adam’s new album a shot if he actually does have more artistic control over the album instead of just singing Katy Perry knockoffs which was what the first album felt.
Jesse555
@Ty: Thanks Ty – Adam had a year to work on the album and he was the creative executive director. PDs in the UK said it was the BEST album they had heard since Adele’s 21…No lie! It is a winner! I love every song and it would be Album of the Year except for the politics involved. This man is under rated and criminally under appreciated. Glad to hear you will give it a chance. You will Not regret it! Peace ~
Ty
@Jesse555: I can’t say its my favorite album of all time or anything, but from the tracks I tried on YouTube, I do hope this album does better for him. My problem with his first album always lied that I felt it was faceless generic overproduced top 40 music without any soul, I always knew he had a good voice. The stuff here sounds like he is actually establishing himself as more of his own individual artist instead of just singing P!nk and Katy Perry-lite record company songs. I will pay more attention to his future endeavors if this is the route he’s going.
Jesse555
@Ty: Great to hear you’re giving Trespassing a chance. It has Adam’s musicality and his heart! What an uphill battle he has had.
Tom
So we go from a discussion of older gay people being dismissed as disposable by the younger gay community, and all of its repercussions, all that older gays have to mentor, etc, to a discussion of American Idol at a fever pitch.
Typical, and also proves my point, and the point of RedRoseQueen1.
Thank You for your shallow contributions to this “discussion”.
Marielle
@Tom: Well, the first two mails from RedRoseQueen1 were about Adam Lambert as well. And the discussion started about Adam Lambert’s contribution to the gay community. People have a right to digress. Read the whole conversation before you call someone shallow.
RedRoseQueen1
@Tom: Actually Tom (my dear friend) we are NOT as far off topic as might be assumed. Lambert is 30 now and just getting started in terms of impact etc. If HE isn’t able to be embraced NOW by the LGBT community….what chance do mere mortals have? Marielle is correct about our discussion being about acceptance in GERNERAL and Lambert in particular.TWO years ago he was asked to perform at the 2010 GLAAD Media Awards in LA. Watch the vid at around 3:52 and HEAR EXACTLY what he said then. LISTEN to his plea for promoting MORE DIVERSITY WITHIN. Then we’ll talk more, OK? Thanks Tom! ;D
http://youtu.be/EviLKEsVNdk
RedRoseQueen1
A “PS” to the above….I do NOT like American Idol as a rule. We were living in Mexico during the ’09 Season 8 and hubby was channel-surfing when Lambert auditioned and called me over to check it out.Hubby is a retired professional musician (lead vocals, guitar and harmonica) We were intrigued by what we heard and decided to watch Adam the following week. The rest is history!
Tom
@ RedRoseQueen1
Thank You, I stand corrected.
RedRoseQueen1
@Tom: Thanks Tom! And I stand corrected for MY typo “in GERNERAL” when I meant GENERAL, LOL!
I gather that you watched the video and heard Adam’s PLEA to the LGBT community? I found it quite telling and touching that there was a NEED to ask for “more diversity within our community”. Just as there is no ONE KIND or type of straight man or woman, ditto for gay and lesbians. We ALL need to embrace our diversity and practice more tolerance and acceptance.I certainly wish YOU love and acceptance Tom! I hope you find real LOVE (never too old, hubby and I met in our early 50’s!);D
RedRoseQueen1
@Ty: Hi Ty! I love it that the people commenting here by and large are civil and willing to have an honest and open discussion about the issue of diversity and about Lambert in particular.Not to belabor the discussion but to attempt to shed some light on what Lambert (and many not-as-high-profile gays) put up with…I think some important 411 is in order.
Adam went on Idol after having a “possibly mushroom-fueled epiphany” at the Burning Man Festival in 2008. He has been doing musical theater since age 10 and had worked on a cruise ship, been in the European cast of “Hair” in Germany mostly, was in an off-Broadway stage production of “The Ten Commandments”, was in “Wicked” and “The Zodiac Show” as well as other gigs to pay the rent like NYE at the Upright Cabaret. He realized that what he TRULY wanted to be was a performer, pop or rock. A star if you will. His friends encouraged him to try out for Idol and if he had waited another 2 seasons, he’d have been “too old” according to Idol rules.He quit an $1,800 a week theater job to gamble it all on his future.
Fast forward to the Idol finale where he “lost” to a bland “Christian white guy with a guitar” (who cannot fill 500 seat venues)after sensational campy, party photos of Adam and gay friends were posted on the internet.Adam of course, is faring MUCH better commercially an internationally!
In November of 2009…he was going to close the American Music Awards. Janet Jackson did a raunchy routine in which she grabbed a make dancers genitals through his pants, in FULL VIEW of the (PG14) audience in prime time.Rhianna marched on stage wearing very little and with “armed men”, looking menacing. Gaga poured a bottle of whiskey on a piano then set it on fire.Finally, Eminem and 50 Cent rapped a song so filthy that every other word was bleeped but we could still heard the “bragging” about rapes and rap sheets, etc.
Before each commercial break,the announcer was promising “stay tuned for the performance of a lifetime from Adam Lambert! You won’t want to miss it!” etc.
Adam got all jazzed, ramped up and when his time came, he got a bit frisky with the actions, acting out the sex-charged lyrics to the song “For Your Entertainment” and the complaints from apx. 1,500 “parents” came pouring in! He kissed his bass player (a hetero male, lol!) and simulated oral with 1 guy for a hot second.(He also pulled a “trolley-stop” grab to one female dancers crotch but no complaints about THAT!)
FIRST…WTH were children THAT young doing UP, watching a PG14 rated show on a school night at almost 11PM? Second, what did ADAM do that hadn’t already been done by FEMALE pop stars? Third, where was the outrage at J.Jackson’s blatant crotch grab to the male dancer, Gaga’s whiskey-fueled piano fire, RiRi’s “ARMY” complete with weapons or Eminem and 50 Cent’s misogynistic, violent rap? How about the onstage kisses between Madonna and Brittany/XTina over the previous years?
And don’t get me started on Out Magazine’s editor, Aaron Hicklin, who even while USING Adam on his COVER to SELL more, was blasting him for not appearing alone on the cover and for posing with an “OMG!” NAKED WOMAN for Details Magazine!(read his rant against Adam here!)
http://media.villagevoice.com/4111109.0.pdf
Comments have ranged from “too flamboyant” to “not gay enough” to “too campy” to “too straight-acting” to “not pop/dance/club-friendly to “not enough rock”…etc. HE FREAKING CAN’T WIN!!!
And then you have NP Harris portraying not only a hetero but a real LADIES MAN who “can’t get enough POONTANG!”….Where’s the outrage from the community there? I could fill a tome (and have come close here, lol) but my POINT is that as an OUT GAY MALE POP/ROCK singer from the start…he is NOT catching the breaks that his talent (and yes, his MUSIC!) demand. People need to STOP boxing, stereotyping, pigeonholing EACH OTHER! Rob Halford is gay…but certainly not “Freddie Mercury gay”, LOL!
There….done. (For now, *giggles*) ;D
Marielle
@RedRoseQueen1: Well said!! Actually he only did the naked woman shoot to give his female fans something to dream about (I would have prefered to see him naked, now that would have given me something to dream about).
Tom
@RedRoseQueen1: I have Red Rose, I have, been with him for over 12 years, got legally married in Massachusetts this past January!! Life is good!
RedRoseQueen1
@Tom: Awesome Tom! I’m so very happy for BOTH of you! You’re all set then, someone who loves you in return and going through life with you, good times and bad, is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? Much of the rest of the world needs to wake up and realize that The Beatles weren’t naive when they sang “All You Need Is Love”….they were simply AWARE and of course, correct! Spiritual Blessings to you and your “better half” Haha! ;D
I hope we’re alive to see the day that same sex marriages are FEDERALLY recognized!
Our friends Gary and Abel met when Gary was about 27 and Abel about 20. Now Gary is very ill and worries about Abel’s future without him some day. Gary’s social security is much more than his partner’s and if they were a “straight” married couple, Abel would be eligible to draw the higher rate (Gary’s) There are so many advantages to legalized marriage on a federal level that gays and lesbians still do not enjoy. Why should two people who are in a committed,monogamous, loving relationship deserve any LESS just because of the configuration of their genitalia? It’s just silly imo.
As a straight but fair-minded, enlightened and understanding woman (my hubby feels the same as myself, btw) I will keep fighting for equality also. How could I do any less? Thanks again, my friend! ~Rose~
PS: I am a very fair/common representation of the MAJORITY of Lambert’s fans and though I was already for equality, I know MANY whose eyes he has opened and hearts he has changed. <3
Ty
@RedRoseQueen1:
People don’t complain about NPH because he is acting… and plus, he is defying the stereotype that people cannot buy gay actors playing straight. People like he and Russell Tovey (openly gay UK actor who has played heterosexual on two BBC shows) are what the gay community want… those are the guys who might make in the closet actors realize that coming out might not ruin their career, as opposed to suddenly finding themselves like Jm J Bullock. Actors who can actually make straight people forget they are gay when watching them are what the community needs to fully be embraced and for more A and B list actors to come out of the closet.
I think Adam losing was BS and largely due to homophobia (and I believe that was the very reason Clay Aiken lost in 2003… he wasn’t out yet but the whole world knew), but still, artistic individuality is a must for any artist I follow. I actually am interested in hearing the new cd as a whole when it comes out because the tracks I sampled sounded far more interesting, but Adam’s first album was extremely overprocessed and generic vanilla “mainstream pop/rock” meant for radio stations that play people like John Mayer, Train and Maroon 5, I am not a fan of that style of music or those artists.
I don’t think the gay community’s lack of support for Adam came from internalized homophobia or obsession with divas, because Scissor Sisters (who have always made music that was a bit more “in” with gay listeners) have been huge in the LGBT community from the day they hit. Who knows, maybe this album will open Adam’s fanbase up more, because I don’t believe his lack of support in the past was so much due to internal homophobia as much as that a lot of gay people just didn’t connect with his music.
Bryan
How did this get turned into an Adam Lambert appreciation thread? Honestly, the weird, rabid Adam Lambert fans are almost as bad as the rabid Ron Paul fans that come out of their caves and take over the comments section each time he’s mentioned.
Marielle
@Bryan: That is because on every vid of Adam Lambert and on every site he is mentioned the homophobic comments pour in. And if you accidentally happen to like AL that ends up making you really defensive.