The Importance of Being Proud

Tonight, Adam Lambert is going to perform at his very first Pride and it makes me very happy. As a completely straight fan, I do have certain feelings about him belonging to the LGBT community and before I share them, I want to establish that my point of view is the one of a straight fan, who is happy about it and proud of Adam.

When he was asked about that in the Miami Beach Gay Pride interview, the focus of the question being on why this was his first pride, Adam’s laconic ‘why not’ reflected his generally relaxed and mellow attitude, refusing to make a fuss where there was no fuss to begin with and keeping his perfect record, in my opinion, in discerning relevant issues from irrelevant ones. More importantly, he kept his perfect record of walking his own pride walk, at his own pace, on his own terms, and that walk has been nothing short of an elegant, benevolent, constant and persistent, step by step towards equal human rights for everyone.

Adam accepted the ‘openly gay singer’ tag given to him at the beginnings of his career with objection. He just wanted to sing and not be defined by his sexuality. In no way did that objection translate into him not wanting to carry the flag or be a gay icon – I think he did not even think about it seriously. Because you cannot push Adam, not into doing anything against his will, nor into maturing or having an idea ripe inside of him prematurely. More importantly, you cannot make Adam do anything out of sense of duty, especially when the matter is such an intricate and vital part of him. From that point to where he and his community are today, a lot has changed and what is amazing is that Adam has been a very important contributor to that change in a very admiring way – maybe not premeditatively but very deliberately and consciously; not aggressively but intelligently; not heavy-handedly but graciously. Adam’s ways have always been subtle and not blatant. Just by being himself, and by freely voicing his opinions and feelings, Adam has done so much, without ever having to steer away from his desired course.

The ease with which he publicly declared his sexuality from the get go, the honest way in which he shared his experience not even knowing what huge impact that would make, with so many people finding comfort and support in his unflinching acceptance and declaration, has made him a symbol, an icon, of all the minorities, of all the different, of all the oppressed out there. So when I hear people calling him a gay icon, I cannot but ask myself what that really means, or if he really is one. I think so, but not only that, or not exclusively that. Primarily, Adam will always be the human rights advocate, an equal- love, free-spirit icon and a fighter for any just cause out there that needs a helping hand.

Never being the one to shout about it, the one to belligerently push and fight his fights with the insane bravado of a Don Quixote, Adam’s declarations, before even being dubbed as political or ‘for the cause’, are coming from the heart and reason. Which means that Adam acts out of his own beliefs, in accordance with the historic moment, with the current situation, making him very much the man of his time. The fact that those acts take courage due to sheer scarceness of similar voices, the ones of openly gay, major label pop singers, make him the man ahead of his time. His pledge of support for marriage equality in Maryland came out of his want and need to voice his support for Question 6, the referendum on the state’s Civil Marriage Protection Act; he openly praised Barack Obama during the elections because of his human rights policy and his stand on marriage equality in the exact moment when the President needed that support the most. So, Adam does not step onto his soap box randomly or out of turn, he does it with the perfect sense of timing, making the best possible impact, providing the best possible results, for the whole community and by extension, for himself. Even his quiet but unhesitant determination to perform in countries where the LGBT community is oppressed and his concerts are viewed as something subversive and/or corrupting, is just one of many ways in which Adam hits the proverbial nail on the head.

There is one place though, one medium, when he does shout: when he sings and writes. All the elegance and grace of a sensible advocate leave him when he is in the safe confines of his artistic expression; he takes full liberty to express himself through music, voicing everything about himself and what belonging to his community means to him, unapologetically, unequivocally, courageously. He leaves for everyone, the radio, the industry, his diverse group of fans, to interpret his music at their own manner and style, for that is where his so open and revealing, so deeply personal communication ends – he sings and you listen, however you want and know, but he is never the one to impose, preach or teach. Learn if you will, interpret as you will. He is definitely not going to be the one to restrict anyone’s freedom of interpretation, but he is also never going to let anyone’s interpretation limit his own freedom to express himself. If Adam Lambert is a gay icon then Trespassing is the community’s manifesto by one of its most prominent members.

Last but not least – Adam did not write Trespassing because he wanted to tap into the LGBT community market. And Adam is not singing his first Pride because he wants to expand his fan base. At least not primarily. Adam wrote Trespassing because he needed to and Adam is in Miami because he wants to be there, as a proud gay man. The fact that he can satisfy his wants and needs while doing what he loves doing the most – singing and creating, is the reason why we all have this happy and satisfied, fulfilled and accomplished man before us and why we are going to have the privilege of observing him create and fight for a long time ahead of us.