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Post by Q3 on Jun 28, 2020 22:33:23 GMT -5
This is today's daily news thread.
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Post by Melisende on Jun 29, 2020 0:53:46 GMT -5
Since the roundtable was private by the time I got home I watched the True Hollywood Story Adam Lambert instead - thanks for posting the video! Though we know the background story pretty well, it was still an interesting trip down memory lane. Apropos of the obstacles that gay artists faced just a decade ago, I was struck by what Vanessa Grigoriadis of Rolling Stone said regarding the release of the photos of Adam kissing his BF during American Idol. She says Adam considered saying: "I've got 2 weeks left on AI but I want you all to know I'm gay," and she continues: "that he was very tempted to do it but he didn't do it because he didn't want to lose. And he told me that it was a very difficult decision for him."
That was only 10 years ago, and it broke my heart hearing that he had to make the decision to say nothing because he thought that it could cost him fan votes. As the ABC producer in TSMGO has implied, he knew Adam wouldn't win because he was gay. Luckily times are changing, and Adam has been such a trailblazer, helping to bring this change about and paving the way for other gay artists. And on a superficial note - when I saw that early documentary (2010), his beauty still takes my breath away. He's truly one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen in my life - then and now.
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Post by toramenor on Jun 29, 2020 2:07:00 GMT -5
Since the roundtable was private by the time I got home I watched the True Hollywood Story Adam Lambert instead - thanks for posting the video! Though we know the background story pretty well, it was still an interesting trip down memory lane. Apropos of the obstacles that gay artists faced just a decade ago, I was struck by what Vanessa Grigoriadis of Rolling Stone said regarding the release of the photos of Adam kissing his BF during American Idol. She says Adam considered saying: "I've got 2 weeks left on AI but I want you all to know I'm gay," and she continues: "that he was very tempted to do it but he didn't do it because he didn't want to lose. And he told me that it was a very difficult decision for him." That was only 10 years ago, and it broke my heart hearing that he had to make the decision to say nothing because he thought that it could cost him fan votes. As the ABC producer in TSMGO has implied, he knew Adam wouldn't win because he was gay. Luckily times are changing, and Adam has been such a trailblazer, helping to bring this change about and paving the way for other gay artists. And on a superficial note - when I saw that early documentary (2010), his beauty still takes my breath away. He's truly one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen in my life - then and now.
Maybe he chose not to do a full interview to say "Yes I am Gay" before American Idol ended, but when he was asked about the photos on a red carpet - also before American Idol ended - he did say: "Yes, that's me in the photos, I'm not hiding anything". So, he was being open and honest. But the fear was probably that if he did an interview "coming out" then that would have become ALL anyone talked about. So, instead of going "WOW did you hear Adam's performance of Whole Lotta Love, that was mindblowing", people would just be saying - "hey, did you read that article, Adam is gay". It's such an unfair situation, that non-LGBTQ people never even think about it, but LGBTQ people have been and still are at a disadvantage. Homophobia is still very prevalent, and even if people are not full-on "I hate gays", there are still A LOT of those who see gay as being somehow bad, or they don't want to be associated with it in any way, because they are afraid others will judge them for it.
Just thinking out loud, and not in response to anything or anyone, but this is something that I'm noticing now a bit more with how people are suddenly saying - "I knew Adam was good, but I didn't give him a chance before". Something has shifted recently in terms of - now it's socially acceptable to say Adam is amazing but a few years ago people were not saying it (even if they were thinking it, I don't know). My theory is that they didn't want to be perceived as stanning a gay guy. And that's what's so tricky. This is the grey area between being an open homophobe and being tolerant. Most ordinary people don't go around saying "Gays should burn in hell", or whatever those crazy religious people are saying - most people just have this learned idea that it's better to be straight, that straight is normal, and gay is not - and they have also learned that liking "gay stuff" or "gay people" gets others to kind of question you - like, "oh, you listen to Adam Lambert? are you gay or something?" So, I think that this deluge of straight men suddenly giving Adam Lambert his dues and saying, "wow this guy is incredible," is partially because they have only now truly listened to him, because of Queen etc. but also because they see it is now socially acceptable to say "I like this guy" without anyone thinking they are gay. At the beginning of Adam's career, those same straight men would not even give him the time of day. Now he has cred. He has earned it - every ounce of it - and it hasn't been easy, but he has had the help of this Queen collaboration.
Other LGBTQ artists are not so fortunate. No matter how talented they are, no matter how good their music is, A LOT of people are just going to see the LGBTQ label and will not get past that, and will not want to be vocal in their support, or will not give them the time of day. Which is a horrible situation, and I wish it wasn't like that. I wish for real deep changes in people's minds, meaning: that they stop looking at people's skin colour or sexual orientation or any of that stuff. Being gay is normal. Being black is normal. I feel horrible thinking about how many people out there - maybe just subconsciously - still believe that it isn't, that it's wrong or bad, if they do not think even worse things, which - honestly - I don't even want to imagine. I abhor all kinds of discrimination.
And just to add, if I wasn't clear, Adam has been incredibly lucky, but he deserves every good thing that has ever happened to him. All I need is to hear him sing and I know how many years of training, struggle and passion it took to get that kind of voice and the kind of ability he has, and also how much he has worked on himself to become the beautiful person that he is. Not just for his talent, but for all that he is, he deserves success and I think he has it. He is even at the point in his life and career where he can host panels to amplify other people's voices (unfortunately, I haven't watched that video yet, but I am SOOO looking forward to it, I hope they post it really soon, or un-private it, or whatever they need to do.)
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:41:48 GMT -5
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:47:05 GMT -5
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:56:26 GMT -5
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:57:13 GMT -5
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:57:39 GMT -5
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 2:59:26 GMT -5
Translated from Dutch
The best live version of @queenwillrock after the original with frontman Freddie Mercury. That brought Queen and @adamlambert ★★★★ in a show lasting more than two hours in Antwerp @sportpaleis for about 13,500 fans exactly 2 years ago.
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Post by pi on Jun 29, 2020 3:23:51 GMT -5
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