adam-lambert-hometown-visit

Remember when you were a little boy and you had those feelings – those “different” feelings? I remember all too well worrying about being different from other little boys and, often, being made fun of for it. As part of my degree I spent a fair amount of time in schools and I worry that for those kids who feel are like I did, things aren’t getting that much better. What I think could really help them is a role model who is older, like them and…famous.

The effect that popular culture has on kids these days is astounding – I’m 24 and it’s far more prevalent in schools now than it was even when I was in high school. I think it might be more prevalent for all of us these days – but especially for kids. There is a lot of media attention on gay issues and, upsettingly, not a great deal of it is positive. The out and proud celebrities that there are just aren’t kid friendly. While gay adults love Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass (oh, admit it – you TOTALLY do!), they’re just not relevant in pop culture – at least not for kids.


Enter Adam Lambert. American Idol is still very highly rated and it’s still the talk of the town in schools. I think kids like it because it gives them the chance to hope for their dreams to come true and it gives teachers a way to connect with their students and appear current without having to discuss sex or violence.

This season, myself and all the other gays that watched the show, were swooning over Adam Lambert. He’s tall, he’s pretty, he wears guyliner (and he’s proud of it) and I bet he’d be a great hugger! But there’s something that I like so much more about Adam Lambert – I think he could be the role model little gays need to help them bridge the gap between themselves and some of their less sensitive peers.

Adam Lambert is cool. He’s not only talented but he’s got a presence and kindness about him that transcends the TV screen. All of his idol competitors constantly praised him, as did the judges…and he’s different. Just like the little gays. He may not have won but I have a feeling he’s still going to be big – as is his gay profile.

Recently blogs all over the internet were buzzing with talk and pictures of Adam holding hands with a guy walking into a club. It’s also been pretty widely publicized that he’s going to “come out” (was he ever in?) on the cover of the next Rolling Stone. I can only imagine the confidence this might give a young child or teen who is feeling different – if Adam can do it and be cool and accepted then they might feel it’s okay for them to be too.

I watched a clip of Adam speaking at a press conference the other day and he said, “even if you’re really different there is a way to get along with each other…it’s about the common stuff…if there’s anything to take away from this it’s to bring [people] together.” If that is the attitude that this new celebrity has and speaks then I believe there is a chance that young people, gay and straight, will listen to this and possibly work towards doing it.

It’s my hope that in a few years I’ll be writing about how young kids who might once have felt different no longer do. If Adam Lambert becomes a phenomenon, appeals to mass amounts of people, and still wears makeup on TV and kisses men in public, then maybe there is hope that being gay will one day become widely accepted…and in turn little gays won’t have to worry about being different.

Submitted by: Allan Warnock

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