Adam Lambert Emerges From Shallowest Closet on Earth

Well, folks, Adam Lambert made it official today in Rolling Stone. He will not be having sex with me anytime soon. Big surprise, eh? Where's my cover story??

So, I doubt Glambert's gayfirmation shocked anyone who's not living along the banks of a certain river in Egypt. It certainly didn't floor me. But I'm glad that he finally said those three little words. Maybe now he can start making some music and kiss his boyfriend if he damn well feels like it.

When all the sexual speculation first started, I was endlessly amused by Adam's coyness about the issue. It was kind of ridiculous that he was constantly being pressed to "come out" to the world, when he'd never even been "in." I loved his response to reporters who tried to get his confession after those famous photos of him kissing another man and dressing in drag surfaced: "It is what it is." No lame cover-ups. No embarrassment. No hemming and hawing over what the definition of "is" is. He knew who he was and he never tried to hide or deny it. He just wanted to be recognized for his talent onstage, not for what he did in bed. Seemed reasonable to me. (Although if he wanted me to recognize him for...oh, never mind.)

But then I read this interesting piece in Queerty, which revealed that Adam's coyness might have actually been more along the lines of a contractual obligation. Now, I've always been aware that the American Idol contestants' lives are not their own. Those kids can't go to the bathroom if the producers and 19E don't approve it first. But I guess even cynical old me didn't realize how controlling TPTB actually were.

Adam told RS: "I was worried that [coming out] would be so sensationalized that it would overshadow what I was there to do, which was sing. I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing."

I believe Adam when he says that. I mean, look at how sensationalized it all became just because he wasn't talking openly about being gay. So, I completely agree with the way he chose to handle things, but I don't completely buy that it was all his decision. I think he probably had a lot of pressure put on him to fall in line and only say as much as the Idol machine would let him say. And it will be a real shame if it turns out that this guy, who is an amazing talent and, by all accounts, a genuinely good person, is being manipulated. It seems that TPTB are claiming a big chunk of Adam - his sexuality - and using it to their own advantage. They kept it under wraps all season long to generate more interest in him and to keep the more close-minded fans happy. And now that the show's over, they can use his homosexuality to appeal to a wider audience, while making themselves look "hip" by really pushing that part of his image.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. After all, the AI producers never put limitations on what and how Adam wanted to perform. (If they had really been afraid of alienating the audience, they never would've let "Ring of Fire" happen.) Bringing such a different kind of performer to the Idol stage in the first place certainly showed progression on their part. And the Queerty article makes a good point that since TPTB are allowing Adam to "come out" before he even records his first album, they must have faith that they can market an openly gay artist. So, maybe Adam and his backers both agreed on the "sing first, talk sex later" approach.

It seems to be an approach that Adam will continue to take, as he told RS that he wants to be "a singer, not a civil rights leader."

But whether he likes it or not, Adam may have to do some soapboxing if he wants to be known as just a singer, and not "that gay guy from American Idol." Because now that "Is he gay?" has a definitive answer, the new question suddenly floating around in the blogosphere is, "Will this hurt his career?" My gut wants to scream, "Absolutely not," but just the fact that so many people are asking this question leads me to believe that it's possible. I just don't get it. Aren't straight people the minority in the entertainment industry at this point? Why does this still matter??

Look, I don't feel like anyone should be forced to accept anything. If you think homosexuality is wrong, you're either always going to think that or change your mind on your own. I think there is a difference between acceptance and tolerance (even though I know some gays who would disagree), so if you can't find the former, that's fine. But you should always strive for the latter.

That's not my real issue here though. I want to be a blogger, not a civil rights leader, so I'm not going to get into a whole discussion about tolerance. And I'm certainly not going to get into a religious debate. But here's what, people. I don't care what your cultural or religious views are - if you can't enjoy a song (that you would normally otherwise enjoy) because you can't stop thinking about who the singer is screwing every night, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU. Seriously. Since when do we have to approve of an artist's lifestyle before we can appreciate his or her work? Eddie Vedder supported Ralph Nader. Stevie Nicks was a giant cokehead. Led Zeppelin were a bunch of J.R.R. Tolkien-lovin' nerds. Axl Rose was, well, Axl Rose. Do I condone any of that? No. Does it matter? No. When those people start making shitty music, that's when I take issue. (For the record, neither Pearl Jam nor Led Zeppelin has ever made a bad album. Unlike everything else in this article, this is not up for debate.)

As for Adam's album, which is really the important thing here (of course, the story about his record deal was buried by the closet door opening heard round-the-world), he told RS that he and 19E are working on ideas now. As for what we should expect, Adam offered a little preview: "I could see myself probably doing a little bit of everything, like a rock-pop sound with, you know, really strong hooks...with kind of a glam edge to it...and all a lot of modern production. You know, dance-y, electronic type of treatment on everything. We'll make it sound really kind of current and futuristic."

Sounds like that album will be a true extension of himself - varied, exciting, provocative, and not easily labeled.


Fangirl sidebar: Do yourself a favor and check out Rolling Stone's behind-the-scenes footage of the cover photo shoot. Need three reasons? Okay...the poses are hilarious, Adam looks positively delicious during the interview snippets, and he does his own hair. Now go.