Sure, we have to be careful about who we assume might be gay, lesbian, trans, queer or bisexual in the world of the gitterati. Honestly I tend to wallow in the "gay ghetto" of entertainment merely because of a preformers perceived sexuality. The last time I even watched AI was the last episode of whatever season it was when Clay lost to Ruben. My reasoning is that I spent more than twenty five years of my life translating the straight world's entertainment into gay terms and now that I don't necessarily have to do that because of movies, theatre and music that deal embrace us without negativity, I'm enjoying the freedom.

Still, like Clay, like Lance Bass and countless others, I'm not going to hold their insecurities against them concerning how or when they come out. It's a little disappointing when, at times, it's patently obvious, but it isn't my life and I don't have to deal with the high wire that famous people have to walk when they admit their sexual proclivity. I'm not judging anyone. Too much of that crap has been done to me over the years, often to my own detriment, so how can I justify judging others?

As for Adam's loss, I more than half expected it. Not only did the religious and conservative right fall in step behind Kris, but I'm sure many of Danny Gokey's loyal fans followed Kris rather than Adam. But please, let's not forget our own GLBTQ population who often have the tendency to turn on members of our own community. No one missed Clay Aiken's reaction did they? (Which he's since recanted. Poor schmuck for speaking out in a knee jerk reaction and then not having the balls to stand behind the idiocy of his words.)

It isn't the 70's anymore when solidarity was was essential, because it was a fight against a tremendous majority of people who hadn't known our community long enough than to have any other reaction except fear of an unknown and unseen population, and then hating us for forcing them to change.

So I wasn't surprised when I saw more than one comment on gay blogs lashing out at the popular AI contestant. As a community I've noticed that while we love to elevate some entertainers to iconic levels, once they're on the pedestal, some of us immediately want to push them off in the most negative way possible. We eat our own. (That's so going to come back to haunt me.)

I was upset when Adam didn't win. The exposure will benefit him though, one way or another. We have to settle for what we get. I hate to quote song lyrics, but I'll be gay and do it anyway. "You can't always get what you want...But if you try sometimes, you get what you need."

Brett, I seriously would never have taken you for a PD or a Wainwright fan. :P

I don't much like American Idol, obviously - the show is not set up to look for the best singer, the best vocalist, the best musician, the best showperson, or the best anything really, other than the person who can get the most votes. I'm sure that if we put any of the best singers of the last century up there, only one or two would even make it to the audition before Simon and crew.

Would Janis Joplin have won American Idol if it were around in her day? Doubt it. What about, I dunno, Ella Fitzgerald, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Bjork, Frankie Valli, or Dolly Parton? I so doubt it, no matter how many Idols get compared to any of those people.

So why do we care so much about that dubious honor? I don't particularly. I try to honor/shed some light on the queer musicians out there with the QMF each week, and I don't think that any of them so far are Idol material, other than Clay Aiken. And that should be read as a compliment (not to Aiken).

Yeah - but how many albums will Adam Lambert sell vs Rufus Wainright?