The Bo Show

Adam Lambert, What People Really Think

The FCC recently released some of the complaints Americans filed regarding the Adam Lambert American Music Awards performance. To be honest, I originally thought the performance was a bit over the top… as in unnecessary. I even went as far as saying, it was a pathetic use of homosexuality to garner attention and press for his album, “For Your Entertainment.” I really didn’t understand the need to simulate oral sex on stage.

But, it wasn’t until I heard him speak his mind to the ladies of ABC’s The View, that I finally understood where he was coming from. As he brought up, women have been performing this way for years. Hell, Madonna and Britney Spears built careers around it. Adam Lambert doesn’t hide the fact that he’s gay. We accept and enjoy his art for who he is. It should come as no surprise that he even kissed a guy during the AMA performance. So, why is it so awful that he kissed a man on stage? It’s really not that big of a deal… so what, he kissed a dude while performing a song. Again, so what?

Sure, some people considered this depiction of homosexuality tasteless, or maybe even obscene. But, what I find the most obscene is the blatant homophobia represented inside most of these complaints. It was utterly stomach churning reading some of the comments. The first letter opens up with demeaning Lambert, and all gay men and women by referring to him as a “fagatoni.” Perhaps this was an attempt at being funny, but it was blatant hate language, specifically used to lessen Lambert to subhuman. Another FCC complaint went as far as to say, “ABC should have denied him his rights as a human being.”

Really?!? How are these types of hate thoughts even acceptable? These complaint letters should be sent straight to the White House, so President Obama can see why it is so important to have something like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). There are so many Americans willing to strip the LGBT community of its rights, just because we are attracted to members of the same sex.

“Just wondering if a gay kiss between two fudge packers no longer falls below standards,” is the question which completely broke my heart and went too far. Is this really what some people consider me when they see me kissing my boyfriend? It’s sad to see such hate still exists in this world.

Lets not forget the infamous same-sex Madonna and Britney Spears kiss from the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003. They opened the show, and French kissed one another in the 9:00 hour. This is a time when most families are watching television together. The picture of their kiss was blown up, and on the cover of the following morning’s newspapers across the world. Spears was even quoted as saying to CBS News, “It humbled me, and it gave me something to look up to.”

Lambert’s same-sex kiss occurred at the end of the music awards show, after the 11:00 hour when most children are asleep. Unlike his fellow pop star’s lip lock, his kiss was not on the cover of newspapers. Instead, he was chastised and ripped to shreds by ABC, and watched as some of his scheduled appearances were cancelled for upcoming shows.

My question, why is male homosexuality so feared by straight America. They are so willing to watch two blond women (one definitely old enough to be the mother of the other) French kiss. But, they can’t accept two men of the same age enjoying a brief lip-on-lip moment?

Have a heart, is all I have to say. Whether it’s guy-on-girl, girl-on-girl or guy-on-guy… people are people. We are made of the very same thing… blood, veins and other organs. Who we choose to share those organs with is up to each of us. Above all, we should embrace difference. If for some reason you cannot accept, or even understand something that is different… perhaps you should look inside yourself and wonder why you are being bothered. Because above all else, Adam Lambert has the right to be who he is. I’m thankful he isn’t afraid to show himself to the world.