Tuesday, November 24, 2009

In Like A Lion....Out Like A Lambert



Most of you know of our view when it comes to gays with large audiences not using their influence to help advance the struggle for gay rights. We Called out Ellen and gay YouTubers for not standing up for gay issues when it really counts. And now, to perfectly highlight this issue, along comes Adam Lambert.

For those who haven't been knee deep in gay blogs all month, Adam Lambert has recently been in conflict with OUT Magazine. Follow the saga with me..

First Was his near refusal to be on the cover because OUT was apparently too gay....*snrk!*...Hold on...trying to contain my laughter while writing this...Out had been making many overtures to get Lambert on the cover, all of which were ignored or rebuffed. Adam finally assented,.. as long as there were straight people also on the cover with him. Recently Adam had also been on the cover of Details Magazine Licking a Woman's breast....And I thought his breast feeding days were looooong over....



Seriously Adam...the breast thing?...straight people on the cover?...you wear more makeup than Liza Minnelli...We know your gay! The whole world knows it and all these efforts to make you look less gay...or even pansexual, aren't workin'. They are only making us lose respect for someone we really want to like.

As posted in Queerty, Shana Naomi Krochmal, Who interviewed Lambert for OUT, had this to say about the interview...

Despite plenty of back and forth between the magazine and the label about the cover and the photo shoot, I still wasn't prepared for what happened when I showed up at the 19 Entertainment offices for the interview. I briefly met Adam, and then the publicist and I walked out to the balcony, at which point I was cautioned against making the interview "too gay," or, "you know, gay-gay." Specifically I was discouraged from asking about the March on Washington that upcoming weekend or other political topics. I pointed out the difference between the Advocate, Out's sister newsmagazine, and Out, which is more broadly a men's fashion and lifestyle book, but obviously made no promises one way or the other. It was pretty awkward, as if we were discussing two totally different people — an Adam who doesn't seem to have any real filter when talking about his life or his opinions, and an Adam who could somehow be contained, made safe for mainstream America.



I think its funny that everyone on that cover is/has spoken out on the subject of gay rights, except for Lambert. Cindy Lauper alone has been to more pride festivals that I will ever attend in my entire life as an out gay man. So, yes you can speak out and have a succesfull career...just ask Lady Gaga,...if you can find here through the bubbles.

In That same issue of details Aaron Hicklin, Outs Editor, posted a letter taking Adam to task for distancing himself from his gay fans and offering the false illusion of heterosexuality. What was Adams response? Posted again by Queerty, Check his tweeet...

"Dear Aaron, it's def not that deep. Chill! Guess ya gotta get attention for the magazine. U too are at the mercy of the marketing machine. Until we have a meaningful conversation, perhaps you should refrain from projecting your publications' agenda onto my career."



And an an Entertainment Weekly interview, Lambert is quoted as saying:

What people don’t realize is, I AM MANAGING MY IMAGE, more than maybe the editor of OUT magazine likes to give anybody credit for. My team is a team. And I really feel fortunate that 19 Management and Simon Fuller said to me, from the get-go, “We want to do what you want to do....



...It was my desire to stay away from talking about certain political and civil rights issues because I’m not a politician. I’m an entertainer. That is not my area of expertise. I can talk about relationships and personal experiences because as an artist those things involve writing lyrics and that part of my process. But I didn’t feel comfortable talking about the March on Washington. I didn’t feel comfortable, so I asked my publicist to ask the interviewer to stay away from the political questions. I take full responsibility for that. I think that the editor has his agenda and has his opinions, which I respect, but they’re not necessarily my opinions. And I wish there was a little respect for that. Not every gay man is the same gay man.



Are you a gay man Adam? You are sure doing your level best to convince us otherwise. And while you don't have to be a politician or politico, you are a human being and they are allowed to have opinions about topics that effect their lives. Unless of course, they are too frightened of losing appeal to a straight fan base that...ALREADY KNOWS YOUR GAY!!! Come on Adam! They would have figured it out even without the drag pictures that got released during your Idol season.

The point is Adam, Ellen, and gay YouTubers, no one is asking you to become an activist but you can still help those who support you everyday without believing in the same things they do. Protecting your career from straight backlash is like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a wetnap, it will overwhelm you eventually, no matter what you do..but by then the gays will resent you too.

If this leaves any doubt that it's Adam distancing himself from tackling gay issues and not his media handlers..then I don't know what will convince you. BUT....Just like Obama moves on gay issues when the public threatens to cut off the cash flow...so too does Adam Lambert seek to affirm his gayness after being criticized...albeit in a rather peculiar way...onward to the AMA's...



The Video's have been pulled from Youtube now, so we can't show you first hand, but Adams performance was an attempt to reclaim his homosexuality..no doubt about it. Queerty's report pretty much sums it up. Men on leashes getting their faces ground in Lambert's crotch and kissing his keyboardist....*yawn*...sounds like Madonna's "Truth or Dare Tour".

ABC's audiences were shocked though, and made sure the network knew about it. So much so that it made The View and all his subsequent appearances on ABC have been tentatively canceled by the network.



Completely ignoring Elizabeth Hasselbeck's condemnations, the performance itself is no different than any other "straight" female star has done....but once its two men every ones collective Sphincters tighten.

My issue with this is not Adams performance. There are those who think that we should NOT endeavour to fit in/copy heterosexual society at all and thus won't tolerate any critisism of Adam's performance. While I have my own feelings on that topic...that will have to be left for another post. My issue with this is, Why did he need to make his statement this way? I don't believe this was his artistic muse carrying him away. This was Adam Lambert flipping the bird at OUT magazine again. As if to say "I am too gay! Just watch me!" As a consequence, rather than endearing himself to a broader public...which he seems to want...he just pushed them all away. Wouldn't it have been easier to give a couple of blurbs to OUT magazine and be done with it?

Ah well...any publicity is good publicity right?...we shall see...

17 comments:

  1. There is an article on the BBC saying that there have been over a thousand complaints about his kiss. Those people would flip their shit over here, there are gay kisses on children's TV. Yay Captain Jack.

    I loved his mental sex out. He was basically dogging on stage.

    To be fair to him the whole face crotch grind is a good move and should be done more often. I did it to my boyfriend this weekend because he wouldn't grate me some cheese for my cheese on toast.

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  2. you preferred pubic hair instead?

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  3. I find the threat of an over exuberant face grind is a good motivator.

    He has taken to the "faced with a bear" approach and basically tries to ignore me doing it by carrying on reading his paper or watching something. To be fair to him I did end up making my own cheese on toast.

    You should try it on Jay next time you want him to do something and he wont.

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  4. I don't know that lambert performance was probably the best idea, i don't doubt it was not something that straight women have done in their (not that I think these are appropriate for when kids would be watching)routines.

    As for the gay kisses on kids shows on the BBC yeah much of America would flip its lid at that, not just because its gay but you don't really even have straight kisses on kids shows in the US.

    I don't think any one I was dating would like my reaction to much if they decided to rub my face in their crouch to try to get me to do something (other then maybe in the bedroom lol) well unless he wanted to be singing soprano for a while after word.

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  5. I don´t know with if I laugh more with the post or with these fours comments XD.

    Zod, I hate this gay way back since his Idol days, i don´t know why people likes him, I prefer Taylor hicks before this dude.

    Face croth grind, I will keep it in mind

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  6. @aNorthWestView

    We are so far beyond dating it isn't even funny. I am not sure I remember what a date is :D

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  7. @orangegablin82

    LOL well then that's a whole different story lol
    hey at least you are single and its been so long since you went on one you don't remember what one is. LOL (makes a mental note he really should try to date, now just to find that gay vampire that up all night lol, dang down fall of grave yard shifts lOl)

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  8. Kids, don't read this!

    Rubbing a face into a crotch... can't help picturing it... I'm speechless... Can't think straight anymore (as if I could ever before, lol)... no comment, just blood pressure rising up, along with my heart rate... using medical terms is so sexy... I really need to get laid...

    What? Nobody's commenting seriously on this page. :)

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  9. @aNorthWestView

    Haha no you misunderstand what I am saying! I am not single I just don't think I could really claim to be dating.

    Staying in and paying the mortgage while eating too much cheese is probably more accurate

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  10. @orangegobline82

    No I got that you where not single, I was making an allusion to myself lol. in the singe one who has not been on a date so long that i don't know that I remember what one is LOL

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  11. I love the way my disturbing description of the way I physically abuse my other half by grinding my denim covered crotch area into his head in the pursuit of melted foods has got everyone wanting a date.

    And they say romance is dead.

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  12. Facre grinding, for you to get something, is telling us that we don´t have anybody to facegrining, so, the dating stuff appears

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  13. I'm glad Lambert went out and made some noise. It's what rock stars do. Unfortunately, I think the closest you can get to a double standard is to be in its face. The ruckus it stirs up is part-and-parcel of inequality. Nobody likes to be called out for being a hypocrite. But at least he's out, that's more than we can say for, say, Anderson Cooper. Objectivity IS a valid professional objective, but there is an overlap of compromised civil rights. But hey, that's just my two cents.

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  14. Sama, not to mention Matthew Bomer whose photos kissing a guy were leaked all over the internet, but he's still refusing to comment.

    And though we understand all the struggles of young actors, know about possible damage that can be made to their careers by coming out, respect their privacy and their way to deal with their own sexuality, we can't make ourselves respect people who should be upfront and proud about being on of us, because it's just as if they are ashamed to be gay which means they can't respect us. And when other people see this shame and fear, they begin to think there IS something to be ashamed of. This is damaging for gay rights movement, for their rights movement!

    If you are famous & you were outed, the best thing you can do is publicly admit it. Visibility matters, for all of us! And you are one of those who can and should make a difference!

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  15. Been famous sometimes its coin flip, or the famous get you crazy, or famous can make you a well center person, it is a choice that many famous people don't pass.

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