Remember when ABC booted Adam Lambert from Good Morning America because they were afraid of him spontaneously kissing a guy like he did at the American Music Awards? Well, the morning show just aired Miley Cyrus on the heels of her faux-lesbian kiss on Britain’s Got Talent. Is this another case of TV’s gay-versus-lesbian double standard or is there a genuine difference between their small screen kisses?
One important difference is that Cyrus had a fake lesbian kiss (their lips didn’t even touch) whereas Lambert had an actual open mouth gay kiss. Between Britney, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Roseanne Barr and countless straight porn performers, perhaps American audiences have become less scandalized by lesbo-kisses, they might even come to expect them as part of the female pop rocker act. It could also be that since Cyrus’ kiss happened on European shores and airwaves instead of American that neither British nor American audiences felt the need to complain to ABC.
In contrast, Lambert planted his kiss while performing on a live American awards show — broadcast by ABC to millions of American viewers. Homosexuality isn’t as common in the male rocker persona, despite your Jared Leto fantasies, and in some ways bisexuality even less so. Keep in mind, Lambert not only kissed a guy, but he also simulated gay oral sex, and kissed and fondled women as well. Over 1,500 viewers complained and so ABC had a choice: potentially air more of his bisexual antics and deal with a small tempest of crap controversy afterwards or pull Lambert’s plug beforehand and enjoy the silence.
So viewed one way, ABC is homophobically saying that “it’s OK to pretend to be gay, but not to really be gay” (especially if you’re a girl). Viewed another way, ABC is putting the kibosh on unscripted male queerness, especially when it happens on American shores.
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Both are bad, but at least the second is a fresher kind of prejudice — who says ABC is afraid of being cutting edge? What’s next, upskirt shots?
Wendy
15OO people called in to compain out of how many people watching?? Oh boo hoo. ABC has people on payroll to handle those kinds of calls. They could have easily asked Adam to tone it down for his interview the next morning. He is clearly an intelligent guy, he would have got it. Suspect they aired Miley because they look ridiculous now having cancelled Adam the next morning.
EdWoody
“Homosexuality isn’t as common in the male rocker persona.”
Freddy Mercury. David Bowie. Iggy Pop. Lou Reed. Rob Halford.
All gay or bi or gender-bending. Although to be fair they were all 20-30 years ago, before the hysterical religious right got a hold of things…
quincy
women (or teenage girls) feigning lesbianism – fine
men kissing for comedic effect – fine
actual lesbians or gays kissing – call the FCC
Cal
Don’t forget that ABC and Disney are in bed together… cross promotion/marketing and all that… remember ABC had one of their other Disney darlings on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Even w/ Ryan Seacrest this past winter… funny thing about that little cross promotion venture was that ABC aired, on DCNYRE, performances by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, and then IMMEDIATELY following, seperated only by one short commercial break, ABC aired the VERY sexually charged “Sex Therapy” performed by Robin Thicke. I thought that was stunningly hypocritical when they had failed to “confirm” Lambert’s appearance on the New Year’s Eve broadcast after his being touted as probably appearing. ABC heavily advertised the guest appearances of these TWEENS and then proceeded to air “Sex Therapy” right after they were on. It didn’t matter the late hour, it was school break, special bedtime allowances and such being granted etc., and who did ABC think would be wanting to watch, adults certainly aren’t interested in Bieber and Gomez. I don’t personally have a problem with “Sex Therapy” airing after Gomez, or the Keri Hilson T&A show that also aired that night all around Bieber and Gomez’s appearances, I just found it hypocritical… oh wait, but I guess not because it wasn’t homosexual interaction (tongue planted firmly in cheek). But still, “Sex Therapy” is not subtle and DCNYRE had a “Part 2” airing that night, they could have aired that performance during that broadcast. Jennifer Lopez also had a male back up dancer in her crotch EARLY ON in the broadcast that night, it also was NOT subtle IMHO… not one peep (Although, I actually registered a complaint with the FCC just out of principle as they had canceled Lambert). And just to throw this out there, I was flipping through channels last night and ABC had some Miley Cyrus concert thing on, I have to admit I don’t know any details, only stayed on the program for a minute, 8pm-ish I think EST, and when I stopped on it for just a second, she had her typical barely-there shorts on and her leg up on a bar/fence thing with her legs very split open… again, don’t care personally, but just sayin’… cross promotion and all that… men in suits and big business and serving the conservative money guys and all that…
Susie
It’s because all those middle-aged, balding, overweight MEN at ABC/Disney get turned on by two women kissing – so do a lot of other guys, which I think is why it’s more acceptable but god forbid Adam kisses another man. What rubbish. I wish Adam had
boycotted ABC and not gone on there (like the View) at all!
Paula
American Music and Entertainment Industry is ruled by men, it’s OK to watch a 17 years old being sleazy but not a man kissing another man.
Just my opinion!!!
Joey O'H
Double edged standard for ABC/Disney’s darling Miley who is desparate in trying to grow out of the Saturday morning kiddie show mold into young adulthood. I agree with another poster here -ABC looked liked idiots after the Lambert controversy. They made themselves look stupid when they cancelled Adam’s booing on GMA. Maybe, they too, have learned from their mistakes. Time will tell…
sandra
@Joey O’H: WHEN WILL THIS END? AMA WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
Karen
I still don’t understand the ABC airing of a women beater, (CBrown) as a replacement for canceled Adam Lambert. This type of censorship and bigotry sent a clear and strong message to the children, they were so worried about, it is okay to hit women but no man kissing a man. It was just a kiss no one died! And children look what will happen if you are violent towards women you still appear on ABC as a replacement over a gay man who shows affection. The morality scale is upside down.
And I also don’t understand the 2010 GLAAD award given to ABC rather than CBS who did air Adam Lambert when canceled by ABC.
CL
@JOEY O’H No. 7 Jun 19 2:57pm – ABC doesn’t give a damn, they don’t have to… very hard to “fight City Hall” as they say… I think what No. 3 Quincy said it dead on…
but I’m going to keep supporting Adam Lambert in any way I can. I think he’s doing great things by just living his life the way he is! He does NOT have to be some political activist, why should he be?, but I love how he’s not some laid back Neil Patrick Harris type (not generalizing/lumping together gay men, just picking someone fom the entertainment industry who is gay, sure, but what mainstreamers would consider a more digestible gay, which annoys me) yet Lambert is doing his thing, making no apologies and being very atypical YET NORMAL about his state of being – he’s very left of center but always authentically who he is and despite being what many would consider very non-traditional he just continues on being authentically himself and shows the world how really quite normal and typical and lovely he is, and should be considered. Happily, I also happen to genuinely dig HIS MUSIC, and many other things about him, so he makes it very easy for me to support him! ABC – hypocrisy and big business at it’s finest, but again, very hard to fight City Hall, I’d rather put my time and energy (in terms of entertainment industry and non-political arena) into supporting someone doing positive things like Lambert.
Lamar
These type of double standards go far beyond sexuality. It is because gays are men and lesbians are women. Society does not weigh men and women in the same scales. It is seen as important for men to follow certain ideals or face ridicule whereas for women are given much more freedom. Imagine if it was the other way round, men were allowed to kiss but not women on live TV, this would be seen as something sexist that must change. The government would try to intervene, there would be many protests and boycotts and rightfully so but as soon as the inequality isn’t against women but men it is ignored and even men themselves do not complain whereas women certainly would. Just because women’s rights need advancing doesn’t mean men should become second class and lose their rights to equality.
quinn
ABC is not concerned with fairness; what they did to Adam Lambert was not fair. I still do not watch ABC or buy any products that are in any way connected to or sponsors of ABC. (M.C. was so cute and still is – hope she doesn’t take a skanky turn to make sure everyone knows she is not Hannah M.)
jason
Women are partly respnsible for the kissing double standard. Women exploit double standards in order to get preferential treatment. Moreover, women trivialize themselves by marketing their sexuality to the sleazy straight guy fantasy. Instead of asserting their heterosexuality, women tend to align themselves with what sleazy straight guys want.
I have no problem with referring to female sexuality as a form of prostitution, frankly.
jason
Lamar,
You hit the nail on the head when you suggested that the bisexuality double standard reflects anti-male attitudes emanating from the women’s rights movement.
Perhaps we need to put women in their places.
dvlaries
Lamar is exactly right. Despite a lot of lip service and pretense otherwise, we are still a society that views women as sex objects, and when one sex object is behaving like a sex object with another sex object, how worked up are you gonna get…? Don’t believe it? Go rent any random half-dozen hetero porn titles and try to find one without at least one scene of female-on-female action.
But two males sharing an open-mouth kiss? That just makes uptight straights imagine cock going into male ass, and that’s what freaks them.
jason
DVLARIES,
The sexual revolution and feminism have reduced women to prostitutes.
And, yes, you’re absolutely right about straight porn being very welcoming of female bisexuality but very hostile to even a hint of male bisexuality. The mainstream media seems to be inheriting the bisexual double standard of porn.
Perhaps we need to fight both porn and feminism. I truly believe they are responsible for the imbalance we see in the differing attitudes to male-male as compared with female-female interactions. We’re going to be in huge trouble if we don’t start challenging it.
dvlaries
One problem -abetted by peer pressure and media too- is we are still raising females in this society who end up defining their self-worth on whether or not they are able to attract and keep some male, regardless of whether that male has any integrity as a human being.
You see it day after day on Springer and Povich. Two imbecilic women fighting over which gets to call her own, some guy who’s using them both, and that I wouldn’t let pet my dog.
You don’t hear much about the female ego, but this is it at work. Instead of facing the tough fact they both chose a loser, each is telling herself she’s got that magic pussy that’ll redeem this guy into some worthwhile person, if they can just get rid of the current interloper. (Never mind that, obviously, the man’s plan is to screw and abandon every stupid woman he can get to belive his lies.)
Well, hey sister, wake the hell up; it don’t work like that.
Jimmi
Jail-bait Pseudo Lesbianism serves the patriarchy.
Wicked Glitter
Looks to me like so many people are either copying, or using Adam’s name for publicity. noone can copy Adam. He is too good. I saw him last night in concert. The man is one of the most talented, gorgeouse human beings I have ever seen. He will be an icon, so keep blabbing about him. Its good publicity.
jason
Jimmi,
Well said. This pseudo-lesbianism and female bisexuality – whether pseudo or genuine – both serve the patriarchy.
Rin
Wow, facepalm. You seriously think women like being treated like this?
Like half of the current feminism movement is about the gender double standard that treats women as sex objects, feminists hate this shit. There was even a bubble of outrage across that area of the blogosphere when Lambert’s kiss was censored while Madonna did pretty much the same thing and no one battered an eye.
Stop using feminism as a scapegoat. If you’re going to hate on women man up and do it. But most feminists are pro-LGBTQ (since what they’re pretty much fighting is traditional gender roles and that’s a lot of our problem too) so it’s a pretty stupid move to attack them.
Revemupman
It wasn’t even about the kiss adam rubbed his testicles on someone’s face that night. All miley did was fake a kiss.
Revemupman
patriarchy?
No such thing, its only the illusion of it that you hate. Your blaming heterosexual culture on just men? Just because men are the first to fight and die for their nations? Just because men are the first to take on jobs women won’t go near? Just because men were the first to write about God and the structure of humanity? Don’t blame men, blame the culture. Do you think a Matriarchy would be better? It would be the same ol bullshit just with women running the show. And its funny, cause feminist make it seem like men aren’t looked at as sex objects. We have sexual parts pretty much everyone is looked up and down that way. If you don’t believe me watch that whack ass movie sex in the city. Or just turn on a episode of Tyra and see how her male models are always shirtless on her shows.
Don’t blame this all on men. Women helped forge society to where it is today as well…….
Revemupman
Women get the upper hand with their sexuality cause society places the burden of AIDS distribution on men. This is the exact product of feminism. Ever since this movement demonized men, males are further pushed in the closet while women become more free sexually. So protecting a movement who is hurting you in the long run is asinine. Notice when society demonizes men rather he’s trans, gay, or straight they still attack men altogether. We are known as your everyday cheater, pedofile, murderer, abuser…..
If you want true equality you must part from feminism. Their only here to help WOMEN progress. They could give a fuck about anything else.
Queer Supremacist
@Lamar: I agree. Bashing men is no better than bashing women. But women do not have a monopoly on oppression.
@jason:
I support the legalization of prostitution, but largely because the costs of banning it outweigh the benefits.
I’m disgusted with the way some women prostitute themselves and call it feminism. Real feminism is about the legal equality of women. Do you think Susan B. Anthony was fighting for the right of two dumb teenage girls to kiss so a bunch of breeder losers could have more spank bank material? She would have hated this just as much as you do. This is not liberating to women. This is not a celebration of love and eroticism among women. It’s a goddamn circus act. Even if it pisses off the Christo-Islamic thought police, it still reflects a deeply sick attitude towards sexuality. Women should be fighting for their rights, as individuals, to define and control their own attitudes towards their sexuality, and if it includes pandering to the base desires of breeder boys, then that must be their individual choice. But they had better not act surprised or offended that others choose not to do that.
In the rebellion against Christo-Islamic puritanism the pendulum swung the other way in terms of what could be expressed, but not how it was treated. The problem was not just the legality of the display of genitalia and the sex acts but our attitudes towards them. We forbid our children to use so-called “dirty words” because we say so, and our kids grow up thinking that being an adult means being allowed to use those words.
Since the so-called “sexual revolution” (which was basically an excuse to get breeder boys easier access to pussy) our culture has done plenty to reduce the laws against pornography but allowed pornography to reduce sex to its basest form: the physical act, while cheapening the aesthetic beauty of the human body and ignoring or divorcing the emotional connection between the participants of the sex act. We are free to display what we want as long as it’s done in such a crude, vulgar and base form that it reinforces established sexual norms: sex is dirty, unless it’s for baby-farming and nation-building; two girls kissing is hot as long as it’s a game for the pleasure of breeder boys; two boys kissing is disgusting; two boys kissing out of love for one another is worthy of the death penalty. The Old Testament proscribed homosexuality because the ancient Israelites were afraid of being destroyed forever and wanted to keep their numbers up. It is the other two Abrahamic religions that turned homophobia into an end unto itself. Some denominations turned it into their raison d’être. This is why the Christo-Islamic menace fights marriage rights for gay couples tooth and nail (and among Muslims, breathing rights for gays) but has eased up on their attacks on porn. Porn challenges none of their prejudices about the human body and the manner of its display. Just the opposite; it reinforces it. Two men or two women living together, sleeping in the same bed, giving each other exclusive privileges to their respective bodies, calling each other “husband” or “wife” is more of a threat to them because it destroys their monopoly on what they consider to be a virtuous, moral life. Besides, drag queens marching in high heels down a city street in the June heat is so 1990s, like grunge rock and actually good Simpsons episodes.
Gay sex can be a beautiful act of love between two men, but the majority of gay porn is of such poor quality that it’s junk food sexuality. And it reflects a thoroughly heterosexual attitude towards the sex act, mainly that it’s all about the instant gratification brought on by the physical sensation and the viewer’s reaction to it: to get the same instant gratification from watching it. Eventually the viewer becomes numb to it and seeks instant gratification elsewhere. Even in fetish porn the fetish is usually displayed in the exact same way. Part of this is a lack of imagination on the part of porn producers and their slapdash attitude towards their production.
This is part of why I detest heterosexuality and especially heterosexual male “culture”. They drove us into the closets. They pushed us into the shadows and scorned us when the only way we could express our sexuality was in shadowy ways. We gays should rise above it. We owe it to ourselves to hold ourselves to higher standards. If we are stereotypically expected to do it in every other aspect of our lives, why not in our sex lives? By this, I mean that the sexual act should be the means to an end rather than the end in itself.
Western secular values are built on the concept of individual freedom. But right now men are still discouraged from expressing love for one another in healthy ways, while women are expected to perform for the same heterosexual men who kept them barefoot and pregnant and denied the right to vote. Justin Bieber kissing one of the Jonas Brothers in a lame stunt cynically calculated to shock Middle America by network executives who project their prejudices onto these people (most of whom would probably yawn and say “what else is on”) would not even begin to solve the problem.
@Rin:
Nice to see you standing up for feminists while telling Jason to “man up.” 😀
swarm
Um, Queerty you could at least proof the bloggers you use for content. Where are you finding these “writers”. Writing a half assed fluff piece as if the very basics that have been discussed for months now are all shocking “wow, omg I never thought of that”. eyeroll.
“So viewed one way, ABC is homophobically saying that “it’s OK to pretend to be gay, but not to really be gay” (especially if you’re a girl)” What?
“Especially if you’re a girl”? Since when “ESPECIALLY” if it’s a girl? Based on what, when did gay women get backlash or even TRY to get backlash lol? It’s ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A GUY – NOT GIRL. jeeze.
Blame the gay women for not doing so. Rosie and Ellen et all have ample opportunity to test the waters on TV. Yet Ellen, (who really irritates me with this) downplays her sexuality as much as possible. Nach. SHOW ME ANOTHER BRAVE PERSON LIKE ADAM LAMBERT.
We didn’t spend countless hours here dissecting Lambert v. ABC v. GLAAD for nothing, only to have it come up now with an incomplete narrative on Queerty, guys.
Haven’t we stipulated ad nauseum that faux lesbian acts (including phony Gaga) are de rigueur now and part of institutional het male titilation and designed for press by the women participants? (not to mention gay dollars, too) Sandra Bullock? bitch, please. yawn.
The entire larger and more relevant point is missed here that GLAAD FUBAR’D the AMA affair and the issue was NOT specifically the censoring of the kiss and crotch snorkle in PST later that night but the subsequent BLACKBALLING of Lambert for acts, which, were and are yet to be proven as “unacceptable” by FCC guidelines. (and the ongoing irony and LMAO that they KEPT censoring his kiss and not Britney’s on all the stations for DAYS on end after the AMA which in itself was hysterical)
Yet after 4 lame attempts, Barrios was unable to articulate a clear thought, because as we determined, he and GLAAD are in bed with ABC and other television media. Evidenced by their IRS 990 expenses consisting of salaries for an huge passel of salaries and “awards” events HONORING the very TV stations guilty of bullshit including ABC. Not to mention, it was alleged that ABC has staff sitting on GLAAD’s board.
Did anyone even BOTHER to see if that was true yet? sigh. And we wonder why there’s no progress? Something so simple to find out…but instead Queerty does this boring article? Musta taken all of 5 minutes. Come on guys, at least get all the relevant POINTS in, if you’re going to do a unserious article.
swarm
@ No. 2 • EdWoody you said:
“Freddy Mercury. David Bowie. Iggy Pop. Lou Reed. Rob Halford.”
in reply to:
“Homosexuality isn’t as common in the male rocker persona.”
Wait. Are you just deliberately obtuse, ill-informed or born too late to actually KNOW? And the poster said “common” not non-exsistent (although it is non existant, pretty much).
1 FREDDIE: NO, He lived his entire life in the closet with a female so called “soul mate” to whom he even left his entire estate. Yes, he lived with a man the last 6 years and there’s no doubt it was a form of a marriage but he was a private guy and CLOSETED.
2 BOWIE?: NO, In a 1972 Melody Maker interview, he said “Yes, of course I’m gay, and always have been.” But was married to a woman with a son at the time from 1970 till 1980. In a 1976 Playboy interview, he decided he’d describe himself as bisexual, not gay. His sexuality was all left to the imagination of fans anyway. He has been married to women twice and currently Iman for a zillion years, too. eyeroll.
3. Iggy Pop? WHAT? LMAO. Read the interview with Rob Tannenbaum, Blender, September 2003. When asked the “extent of [his] gay experiences”, Iggy said, “I’m to the left of tolerant, but I’ve never had a gay experience. Two or three times, excited gay friends wanted to, like, nibble my nuts — generally when I was passed out or distracted. And then I’d go, ‘Hey! Bruce! Cut it out!’ And that would be the end of that. The gayest it got is some guy approaching my scrotum with oral intent.”
4. Lou Reed? LOL While dabbling in some bi behaviors from a teenager on (no different than allegedly Mick Jagger AND Bowie) when did he ever self identify as gay? Um, never. He said he had some homosexual “feelings” when he was a kid and that anything goes as an adult. He married women a couple of times. He was married in 1980 and stayed married 10 years. Then around 2008 he married another woman he’d been with for a decade. Gay? nope.
Rob Halford? OK good you found an authentic one. But he didn’t come out until 1998 after 24 years in the business.
All this means is that sexuality has been taboo (and there are tons of men sleeping with men on the DL anyway)….and there hasn’t been a single OUT PROUD GAY MAN (or woman, actually) in the forefront of America’s face in entertainment (let alone Rock) from the beginning of their career (and earlier) except Adam Lambert.
I stipulate there are maybe “a couple of” lesser knowns like Rufas Wainwright out from the beginning (props to him) but he’s not exactly on the level of fame that is being discussed since he never had a single chart in the US [but had one album peak at 23 here].
j
@swarm: When I heard that list I instinctively thought of rufus. He writes about being gay too, rather than trying to push it out of his work.
kvitka
Jason, RESPECT!!!! You are very honest and all you opponents is
very very very stupid!!!!!!
Gay-guys and bi-guys, open your eyes!It is impose a stereotype that in a modern society all women should be bisexual, and all
men should be heterosexual. And gays and bi-guys is the taboo!!!
Gays and bi-guys gradually push in a ghetto!