8.6.14 Adam News and Info, tour tidbits

I got my calendar today! Too bad I had to hide it from hubby. Sigh....

huffpostgay ‏@huffpostgay 19m
Target finally openly supports marriage equality huff.to/1pCwNYs

Target announced its support for same-sex marriage in a court filing on Tuesday, finally putting an end to years of dodging the subject.

The mass market retailer signed an amicus brief in a case before a federal appeals court in Chicago, joining other big companies that have taken a stand for marriage equality. The case deals with legal issues in Wisconsin and Indiana, two states where lower courts have struck down gay-marriage bans.

"It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage," Jodee Kozlak, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Target, said in a statement posted on the company's official blog.


By finally making its stance public, Target joins other major U.S. corporations like Apple, Nike and Facebook in its open backing of same-sex marriage in U.S. courts.

Amicus, or "friend of the court," briefs, are filed by parties interested in a legal action, but not involved in the case. They're often filed in appeals of civil rights cases and other topics of public interest.

Target, which operates nearly 1,800 stores around the U.S. and boasts a worldwide workforce of around 360,000 people, has been criticized for remaining neutral on same-sex marriage in recent years.

In 2012, the company refused to take an official stance when a battle over marriage equality raged in its home state of Minnesota -- despite releasing wedding registry ads that featured two grooms. "We recognize that there is a broad range of strongly held views on the MN Marriage amendment," a Target spokeswoman said at the time, referring to a proposed amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

But this time, Target decided to make its position known.

"This brief is important, as the issues it addresses have significant impact on businesses," said Kozlak. "But it is more than that and we agreed that now is the right time to more directly share our views on this issue."

Target said it has "long offered comprehensive, competitive benefits" to its LGBT employees and their families. The company scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's 2014 Corporate Equality Index, which tracks corporate policies that affect LGBT workers.

I had already given up hope of getting the VIP package.
I didn't buy anything of the concerts because I thought I get a VIP shipments. And the disappointment has been great when they have not come.
But I see that I still have hope to get them!

Do we have this because I haven't seen it?

Adam Lambert on Queen, Touring & Sam Smith
8.5.2014

BY DENNIS HINZMANN

The pop star takes his connection with the band Queen seriously
Photos from Adam Lambert's Instagram

The “Whataya Want From Me” singer just wrapped a 24-city tour in North America with the surviving members of Queen, where he brought their hits into the 21 st century with his own Freddie Mercury-esque performance style and glam-rock looks.

In an interview with The Advocate, Adam Lambert spoke about his inspirations from the very band he was on tour with and how today’s generation handles sexuality.

On channeling Freddie Mercury, not imitating him

"I’m Adam onstage. I’m not playing Freddie. I’m not trying to be him. However, he’s so amazing. His recordings and his performances were so incredible that I can’t help but be inspired by them. And on a technical level, I don’t want to move too far away from the music that they’ve created, but I do want to put my own stamp on everything."

About the mixed crowds of Queen loyalists and younger fans of his

“It’s a huge challenge because there’s been a lot of expectation and doubt. You have a mix of people in the audience that are diehard Queen fans, and I have my fans that are coming to the show kind of through me. It’s interesting bringing them all together and seeing how it all plays out."

On why he's happy that Mercury's sexuality is only a side-note in the story of his success

"It doesn’t have to matter whether you’re gay, straight, bi, black, white, whatever, man, woman. That’s not the point. That’s not the thing that’s bringing us together. The thing that’s bringing us together is music. [We're] entering a period of time now where we’re getting towards that post-gay sensibility, which is, so what? But it took a lot of fighting to get there."

On the younger generation's expanding acceptance

"This next generation coming up is like, ‘Hey, it doesn’t fucking matter... My sexuality, doesn’t [determine that] this is the type of music I listen to, or this is the type of activities I’m into, or these are the type of people I hang out with. It’s getting to the point now where we’re more mainstream, and we’re allowed to do anything we want, and we’re allowed to be with anybody we want. So there’s not as much segregation... and I think that’s really exciting, because I don’t think it should matter."

On the LGBT support he's gotten and friends he's made within the industry

"I definitely struck up some friendships with some out musicians that I really respect: Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters, Sam Sparro. I got to meet Sam Smith in London. He was wonderful. I definitely think there is a certain fraternity there."

Read his complete interview on Advocate.com