A Gay Idol?

As cultural phenomenon American Idol rapidly approaches the end of its eighth season, the media seems to have focused its gaze on one contestant in particular. The New York Times, ABC News, and Bill O’Reilly, along with many others, have been wondering aloud, can Adam Lambert win?

Is Adam talented? Undoubtedly. Popular? Absolutely (After all, he’s been voted in by the viewing public week after week.) Young? Attractive? Entertaining? He’s covered all of the pop star bases. So why is his potential being doubted?

It's clear by the first round of questions on Adam's future in the contest that fans of the show are probably aware of the photographs of Lambert in drag and kissing other men that appeared on the internet in early March, so why are we still discussing this? Is Adam’s sexuality the issue or is his ‘silence’ the problem? Who is writing this as a scandal?

The singer responded to Access Hollywood more than a month ago:

His response, though, wasn't the one expected. Lambert wasn't featured on a magazine cover under the heading "Yes, I'm Gay." He didn't cower in embarassment and he didn't "confess." Adam is effectively challenging the politics of coming out, positioning it not as a declaration but a lifestyle. He is not refusing or hiding, as some suggest his failure to comment either 'yes' or 'no' amounts to. He is just living. By disrupting of the idea that people are entitled to be informed of any 'deviation from the norm,' he is disrupting the idea that his behavior falls outside of some constructed norm of masculinity and sexuality.The question asked is not whether America is "ready for a gay Idol," but whether America is okay with an Idol that does not feel the need to seek public approval for his 'transgressions.'

The new American Idol won't be crowned for weeks so it is inevitable that this will not be the last time the 'issue' of Lambert's sexuality is brought up. But as viewers, we must ask ourselves who is making this an issue and why it can still pass as one.