I think the photos did a lot of the talking for me. After seeing those pictures, if you don’t understand what my sexuality is, I think you need to go back to the drawing board and learn about what boys kissing boys means.

I am gay, and I am very comfortable with it. I have been for a long time. I think it’s funny that people are like, “He’s been hiding it”. I’ve always been out. I avoided talking about [my sexuality] on Idol, but I never lied about it and I never denied it, because that would go against my principles. I chose to keep my private life a little more private while I was on this show. And that’s a choice. I reserve the right to talk about my own sexuality. I wasn’t ready to address everything that I’d ever done and reveal the most intimate details of my personality [on the show] because I was just getting used to being a figure of the public eye. I feel like, “Okay, now people see me as an entertainer, so now I’m willing to let them in a little bit more on my personal life”. It feels really good now to just state the fact and just move forward, [so that people don't] keep wondering about, “What does he do?” you know, “With whom?”

I was a little worried about the pictures affecting my chances in the competition when they first came out. I don’t think they did. I think I got to the end of the competition for a reason. I think people are ready now in this time and in this age to overlook it. The show is about finding great singers, it’s not about, like, who has the moral high ground, it is about finding the best singer. It’s not a pageant.

Q – Will being gay hurt your career?

A – I’m sure that there are some people that are turned off by it. And to be frank, those aren’t the kind of people I want to sing to anyway. I want to sing to people who are open-minded and accept music. It’s not about my lifestyle; that just happens to be my sexual preference, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to affect the type of music that I’m going to make or the type of performer that I am. I would hope that people are in a more progressive mindset right now, I know that our country as a whole is in a more progressive place than it was when the show started 8 years ago. I think that if you like it you like it, and if you don’t, well, there’s nothing I can do to control it. [interview found here].

On the media interest in his sexuality:

It’s surprising because I don’t think twice about my sexuality. I’ve been living this way for the whole time that I’ve been living in L.A, for the past eight years. It’s a funny reminder that not everyone is as comfortable with it as I am.

On the moment when Adam came out to his mother:

My brother was involved in this speech and debate tournament and we were on our way home. There had been this monologue that had been performed about a young man coming out of the closet, and his parents had rejected him and kicked him out of the house because of it. And that fictional guy got into a lot of trouble and got beaten up & on drugs, and all the things that might happen if your family system doesn’t support you. 

That resonated with my Mom. In the car on the way home Mom looked over at me and she was like, ‘So, do you have a girlfriend?’ And I said, ‘No’, and she said, ‘Do you want one?’ I was like, ‘Mmmm, no’. She said, ‘Well, do you want to have a boyfriend?’ And I went, ‘That could be nice’. She was like, ‘Oh, I’ve always known’. And I was like, “Well, why didn’t you ask me sooner?” And she was like, “I didn’t want to push you!” And we connected on it and I opened up and it was a really, really good moment. From then on out I felt like I was really being myself with my family.

I think it’s important to just be open; it’s very liberating. Lacking secrets really helps growth. If you keep a bunch of secrets and skeletons in your closet you’re not going to grow and you’re not going to grow and you’re not going to be the best person you can be. So just wear it proudly and let your colors shine. I don’t understand why people are so afraid.

“I don’t want to the poster boy for some cause”:

I think some viewers at home wanted me to win for their own reasons because they were rooting for something and they attached a lot of social pressure onto, “What does it mean if this guy wins?” It’s not about that, guys; it’s about singing. I don’t want to be [the poster boy for some cause]. I have my own personal beliefs that I feel very strongly about. But I don’t know, at this point in my life, if this is a platform for that, I think this is more about music. [video of interview found here].

“I am proud of my sexuality”:

I am proud of my sexuality. I embrace it.

“I was scared” of my sexuality during school:

“[As a kid] I loved singing and dancing and playing dress-up and it’s really not a big surprise. I had like an odd fascination with glitter, so there you go. See, now I’m stereotyping myself. Great.”

In middle school, “I started to realize I wasn’t like every other boy, and I was just in my own head, tripping myself out”. PE classes stoked his anxiety, “I didn’t want to be naked and vulnerable. I was scared of my sexuality.” Even after he came out to his mother, “I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I didn’t feel sexy.”

“When you are a young man or woman, and you are in the closet, chances are that you might not be experiencing things that other kids in high school are experiencing. I mean, in high school it’s the first time that you have your first date, and your first love, and your first kiss. I didn’t have any of that”.

Lambert says he’s “finally checked in to my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it has coincided with ‘Idol’ is so sweet.” Sure, he still has his self doubts, but, as he put it, “for the most part, when I look in the mirror now, I finally see somebody who can do something cool.”

Kris talks about Adam coming out in Rolling Stone:

I think he’s happier that he can be himself and it’s nice. Adam is who he is and he’s not afraid. I support him in whatever he does.

Kris:”It’s not so much what you believe in, it’s who you are”:

I don’t know why beliefs have to mess up friendships and mess up people’s ideas about everyone else. People are people, it’s not so much what you believe in, it’s who you are. It was never a problem with us. He was Jewish. It wasn’t about religion. I wasn’t going to judge him for, like, not being a Christian. He’s a great guy, I mean, seriously, like, one of the best guys I’ve known. 

They made the guyliner vs. the guy next door thing, and we were like, why can’t Adam be the guy next door? We hated it. We really wanted it to be about the music. There are a lot of things about me and Adam that are the same.

We were friends from the very beginning. People were confused, “how are someone like you, and him, really good friends?” It wasn’t so much flack, it was just, people were weirded out by it. I wasn’t weirded out about it. Neither was he.

 [Watch full interview with Kris here].

* * * * * *

- “This is a singing competition & not a church thing. I would hope that people vote based on what they like to hear, you know. It doesn’t have anything to do with your religious background, your color, your gender. It doesn’t have anything to do with that, it’s about your music. So it’s really important to keep that in mind.” [Adam's pre-finale press conference message to voters].

* * * * * * * * * *

After the Finale:

* * * * * * *

Q - Adam, so now all the blogs are going to be saying, he didn’t win because he was gay, or because he wasn’t gay, what are your thoughts?

A -  [Laughs]. Is that what they’re going to say? We’ll see. Blogs have a lot of opinions, don’t they? I think that Kris won because he’s a great artist, you know? And I was happy to be a runner-up to that.

* * * * *

Q – Do you think media speculation over your sexuality affected the voting?

Adam – Uh, you know, probably.

* * * * *

 When all that social projection started being attached to me I was like, is it that deep? I thought we were just singing, I thought this was just a singing competition. [Idolatry interview with Slezak].

I can see why people would see it as a red state blue state kind of thing. Conservative versus liberal kind of thing but I just want to believe, I may just be being an idealist, but I want to believe that its more about the music which is not always the case. I think that it shouldn’t matter what your religious beliefs are for instance, or your gender or anything else should come into play. But it’s a reality show and that’s what it does. I wish it didn’t but it kind of does. [Rolling Stone article].

“It’s surprising [the media obsession], because I don’t think twice about my sexuality. I’ve been living this way for the whole time that I’ve been living in L.A, for the past eight years. It’s a funny reminder that not everyone is as comfortable with it as I am.”

 * * * * *

Q – Do you think being gay will hurt your career?

A - I don’t know. I’m sure that there are some people that are turned off by it. And to be frank, those aren’t the kind of people I want to sing to anyway. I want to sing to people who are open-minded and accept music. It’s not about my lifestyle; that just happens to be my sexual preference, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to affect the type of music that I’m going to make or the type of performer that I am. I would hope that people are in a more progressive mindset right now, I know that our country as a whole is in a more progressive place than it was when the show started 8 years ago. I think that if you like it you like it, and if you don’t, well, there’s nothing I can do to control it.

* * * * * * *

I was a little worried about [the kissing-a-man pictures affecting my chances in the competition] when they first came out. I don’t think they did. I think I got to the end of the competition for a reason. I think people are ready now in this time and in this age to overlook it. The show is about finding great singers, it’s not about, like, who has the moral high ground, it is about finding the best singer. It’s not a pageant.

* * * * * *

I am an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing. It shouldn’t matter, except it does. It’s really confusing.

* * * * * *

[During the first few weeks post-Finale] an American Idol chauffeur told Adam that he had no problem with him, “because at least you’re not girly”. Adam Lambert: “Man, it’s so ignorant. Why can’t some men have strong feminine sides? Does that make them less of a man? I don’t know why our society has so much emphasis on masculinity and femininity – it’s really gross. I don’t think you’re truly sexy until you don’t care about that”. [Rolling Stone article].

* * * * *

He was a risk-taker, he was really inventive and he wanted to do things that no one had ever done, and I admire that a lot. I grew up watching Michael Jackson, I know that Kris did too, huge influence. I remember dancing to Beat It in the living room with my flashlight. Musically, his voice is so distinct. He wore really imaginative costumes, and created imagery that no one else was creating. 

He kind of defied sexuality and race, in many ways. He didn’t go one way or another, he kind of stayed in the centre of all of it, which I found  very, very intrigueing. Kind of appealing to everybody. He will be remembered for inspiring countless other artists. Michael was a genius at inventing himself, inventing music, inventing imagery.

I performed [Black or White] around the time that the pictures of my ex-boyfriend and I kissing came out, and I thought that the lyrics fit the situation. They also related to the change that the country was going through, with Obama. I wanted to sing something that I could believe in, at that moment. When I chose [Michael Jackson's] Black or White I knew that it had the original intent.. and then the other civil rights issues I thought, you know, people would figure that out if they were savvy enough.

[Adam talks about his other symbolic songs in this post]

Kris 

If you were a music fan, you like Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson’s music was the first music that I fell in love with. His music means so much to me. My first album was his ‘Danger’ album; I had all of his albums. I knew pretty much every MJ song. It’s weird actually, my parents, they loved that I was into his music. Michael Jackson has changed music completely since he started. I think that it’s evident in almost everything.

[20/20 Michael Jackson Tribute interview: video 1 - video 2]

Adam’s crush on Kris:

“I was like, ‘Oh, shit! They put me with the cute guy. Distracting! He was the one guy I found distracting in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty, and totally my type – except that he’s got a wife. I mean, he’s open-minded and liberal, but he’s definitely 100% straight.” [Rolling Stone interview].

Q – You said you had a little crush on Kris.

A – He’s a cute guy, come on now. Him and his wife make a really cute couple; she’s a cool girl. And I’ve learnt a lot just by talking to them, about relationships and romance, and I think they are a great example; they are really, really precious.

Q – Did he know you had a crush on him before you told the Rolling Stone magazine?

A – Yeah, I just told him. I was like, “Mmhmm, yeah, all right Kris, yeah, you’re cute”. He’s a good-looking guy.

Q – And he said he was very flattered by it.

A – Kris is so well adjusted. That’s how everybody should be. Because, really, it’s not a big deal. You can find somebody attractive and it shouldn’t be scary. You know what I mean? It’s just a compliment. [Access Hollywood interview].

Kris responds:

- I’m flattered. And I think it’s hilarious.

-  He was so funny. He texted me that day, like, ‘I’m so embarrassed.’ I’m like, ‘No, are you serious? Don’t be embarrassed. I think that’s hilarious.’ My wife, she’s so funny. She was like, ‘Tell Adam I have a crush on him.’

 - That was funny, I read it and I laughed. He texted me afterwards, he was like, “Oh, I’m so embarrassed”. I said, “Adam, you’re not embarrassed about anything”. So it was really funny.

Kris’ crush on Adam:

Q – what did Adam’s fans send you as a birthday present?

K – They gave me a couple of feathers. They wanted me to glam up my look a little bit… which I really appreciate, thanks. They also gave me a headphone splitter, so that me and Adam can listen to music after the shows and cuddle.

A – They’re clearly misinterpreting our friendship. [Kris slips his arm around Adam’s shoulder; Adam cracks up].

A – A crush is a very non-threatening thing, I think.

K – Yeah. I have a crush on Adam. Can I say that? I have a crush on you, Adam.

 A – They’ll run with that. Now everything…

 K – Now I’m screwed.

 A – Yeah, there you go.

K – Man crushes are in. Bromances are in.

 Nevertheless, Kris supports Adam’s relationship with Drake:

 ”I think he’s happier that he can be himself [after the end of Idol & the Rolling Stone interview] and it’s nice. Adam is who he is and he’s not afraid. I support him in whatever he does… They’re a cool combination because they are so different.  Drake’s from Louisiana and Adam’s from LA. [Drake LaBry] is a reall nice guy.” [People.com].

Adam talks about the Kradam fan-fiction:

Q – Your Bromance with Kris has taken on a life of its own: There’s fan fiction involving you two…

A – Oh really?

Q - Did you not know about that?

A –  (laughing) No I didn’t.

Q – Oh my god. Adam.

A - I kind of want to read it.

Q - It’s kind of… hot. I’m really serious, Adam, it’s so good.

A - We should show it to his wife. That’s who we should have read it.

 [Best Week Ever interview with Michelle].

Danny talks about nail-polish: He got me to put nail polish on one of my fingers. And he got Kris to wear nail-polish. Adam is the daring person. So many people took him as this one [type of] person, but I think they put him out too far as the bad boy. He’s a super nice guy; you know, he’s a real person. The image he was trying to portray is that, “Listen, it’s okay for change in our culture”.  But I think people were automatically like, “He’s like this; don’t vote for him because of this”. I’m like, “You’ve got to get over it, you know? Get over it. You don’t know him like I know him.” [Idolatry video].

Danny talks about Adam not winning - Adam is genuinely happy, for anyone. I’ve learnt something about Adam, that he’s a really nice guy. He’s a genuine guy. Adam responds  [after listening to Danny's comment on tape] - Aww, that’s very cool. Danny and I connected, everybody in the house connected. No matter what our backgrounds were, we found a way to click.

Adam talks about Danny: He’s quite the thinker. And we had, we just, we hit it off right away. [Contestants talk about Danny Gokey video].

Before the Finale:

- I like Kris. I wish him luck and I’ll just let the chips fall where they may.

- What a day! I’m simply beside myself for a Kris vs. Adam finale. My family and I had dinner at the same restaurant as Kris’ and we kept running into them and showing each other how we were voting for the other family’s kid. It was adorable. His family are all really sweet people and I’m not at all pissed if he ends up winning the whole thing. That said, vote for Adam .

I was determined to not have Adam lose to Gokey, but I don’t mind if Kris wins simply because he was such an underdog and so obviously talented. I just wish the finale could have been a 3-way competition between Kris, Allison, and Adam.

Adam will be fine no matter what. He’s got a lot of people knocking on his door. Besides the shame of having someone as lame as Gokey beating him, it might even be better for him to get 2nd. Like I said, no matter what happens, i’m happy with the outcome.

Kris Allen’ Win

Oh the sadness! Middle America kicked our rear end. But all’s not lost, Adam’s in good hands and has quite a few people knocking on his door. Slash thinks he’s awesome and wants to collaborate. So he’ll be fine. Kris and his family are nice, genuine people. Even if they were somewhat fueled by people voting simply for the Christian guy, I’m happy for them. He’s talented, so it’s not like it was a complete mugging.

I got a bit sour grapes too, and had to keep reminding myself that this outcome is the best possible outcome. It was only a selfish pride thing that I wanted to see Adam win, but truthfully Kris needed the win and Adam didn’t. loving SLASH wants to work with him. Queen? Tons of producers. He’ll be fine.

The nerves finally hit me at the big reveal, but I wasn’t surprised. I mean, dialidol had informed me of their fate the night before. My mom was who I worried about, but she was ok too. The thing is, seeing the utter joy and complete shock from the Allens was really nice. After the show they were hugging and kissing their family and friends and it was simply wonderful. I’m very happy for them. Kris’ brother’s a good guy and we both occupied that my-brother-is-on-idol space so it was nice to watch him finish that journey. Kris’ father’s name is Neil as well, so I have a special affection for him too. And hell, Kris is talented. Like I’ve always said, the only thing that would have sent me flying into a rage would have been a Gokey victory. Plus, who ****ing cares who won? My brother just sang on stage with QUEEN AND KISS. I don’t think he could have been happier. The entire show, actually, was pretty damned entertaining. The afterparty was good too.

American Idol

The production staff are all very nice people, the contestants for the most part are cool. The only thing I hate is the audience. Not those of us that sit around and simply talk/make fun. I’m talking about the incessantly screaming tweens. I had to sit on the set of American Idol Extra to watch Adam’s exit interview and I couldn’t handle it. I actually left and went around the corner to have a drink with Adam’s/Allison’s hair stylist and a former Idol contestant, much to Mom’s chagrin. Perhaps I’ve never been a 12 year old girl (perhaps), but I just don’t understand the idea of screaming someone’s name in a vain effort to get their attention instead of actually listening to what they’re saying or paying attention to the show. Great, you’re having fun. But it’s at everyone’s expense. These are the people that fuel idol for the most part and for that reason I’m glad Adam didn’t win. Perhaps I sound really arrogant here but I think he’s bigger than this show. I want him to do bigger things than this.

Michael Sarver

I’d love to throw a rock at Sarver, though. He’s a dick. Gokey seemed like he was just joking…  [Atozinco Note: in a video that Sarver made it shows Gokey saying about Sarver, "I love this guy to death. In the..right way?" Sarver said, "In the Godly way". Gokey repeats Sarver but looks unsure, "Um, in the Godly way... I mean, what do you say?"]

I’ll quote Sarver on this endlessly:

Michael Sarver posted:

Where I’m from, you’re either in the closet or you’re dead.

hurrrrrr.

With Sarver, well…. Mom and Dad always taught us that it isn’t what you say but how you say it. That’s how I got so sardonic. So if what he said offended Adam, it probably had some teeth to it. Do I think he hates gays? No. Do I think he’s an ignorant shithead with no concept of diversity and how to interact with people that don’t match the narrow archetype of everyone you grew up with? Yes.

Alright, I’ll stop derailing about Sarver now and just say this. He’s not at fault for being ignorant if he’s never stepped outside his comfort zone. But if I were in a similar situation in which I found myself in his neck of the woods, my first inclination wouldn’t be to tell the people around town that where I’m from we all think they’re inbred hicks. Just sayin’.

Adam’s Sexuality

What pisses me off is that people think he’s not talking about it because he’s scared of what’ll happen. Look at the loving TV and tell me he’s scared of weirding people out. Yeah right.

The truth is, American Idol shouldn’t be about the contestants’ silly personal stories. Had Danny Gokey not gone the Pity Party route, he would’ve been out sooner because he’s just not that exciting of a singer. I don’t want to see Adam on-screen whimpering about how hard it is to be a gay man in America because it doesn’t have to do with his singing. Adam didn’t want to fuse a sob story into his Idol persona. He wants to sing and entertain, not make people vote for him out of sympathy.

Adam is usually quick to hug his fellow contestants but I’ve heard that he and Sarver had been clashing in the Idol mansion.

Adam & Kris were roommates from the Top 36 onwards (Matt & Kris were roommates earlier, during Hollywood week).