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Sound Off: Is the way Adam Lambert is Being Treated a Double Standard?

Nov 25th, 2009 | 23 responsesPosted by John in Entertainment

What happened that everyone is so upset about?
Adam Lambert was performing at the American Music Awards on Sunday. During his performance after leading

We couldn’t find a video online that included footage, so here are the ladies from the View giving you a blow by blow and chatting about it. Elizabeth gives us the right wing view. We also remember why we stopped watching the View. Doesn’t Elizabeth need to get pregnant again or something?

Update: We finally found a video of most of the performance during a debate on Joy Behar’s HLN show. (Yes, we continued the View theme. When did Bradley Whitford become a 70′s porn star?)

Here is what Adam told Ryan Seacrest:

“I don’t feel I owe anyone an apology for anything. I performed, it was late night TV, I did something that female performers have been doing for years, no different. It’s just the fact that I’m me and it’s a little different for people. It’s really not that big of a deal. … I do think there’s a slight double standard. We’ve seen female pop performers doing extremely sexual routines for years and all of the sudden a guy does it and it’s crazy. … Obviously I respect their decision, they gotta do what they gotta do. It’s too bad, I think there were a lot of fans who were excited to come see me. They probably had a lot of pressure coming at them from certain people who weren’t happy about it. I respect their decision – I don’t necessarily agree with it, but they need to do what they need to do.”

So what do you think? Tell Us in the Comments.

Was it ok for Madonna and Britney, or any other female performer to do the same thing? Or was it too far because a real life gay did it? Is it ok for women to do lesbian things and not men doing gay things?

Tags: Adam Lambert, American Idol, American Music Awards, sound off

Gabriella

A woman’s perspective-gentlemen!! It was a vulgar display!!!!!!! Forget the man on man stuff if it had been w/a woman it would have the same effect on me–VULGAR and tasteless……
Tony

We all know, exactly what this is….. It’s the same double-standard that we’ve had for years! “Straight Men” love girl-on-girl action, so that’s acceptable, but the minute that we guys do it… we’re “deviates”, because the straight “moral majority” has decided what is good and wholesome, and what is bad and corrupt! Unfortunately, they still “believe” that they HAVE THE RIGHT to condescend to the gay community and to put us, “in our place”. Adam, simply gave the “moral majority” and the rest of the world a collective wake-up call! I support Adam completely.
My message to Adam: Keep doing what you’re doing! We have watched the straight world slobbering all over each other… long enough, it’s time for them to watch US for a change !! Go, Adam!!!!
Daniel Loftin

Who cares if the crazy right winger KKKristians don’t like it? The actor on Joy’s panel had a terrific point. Why isn’t it considered pornographic that our government lies so they can go to war and shed the blood of the poor in our country? A majority of the Religious Right still thinks that the war in Iraq was the “Will of Gawd”. THAT’S pornography, not Lambert’s little pantomime.
ubercon

Do any of you really believe there would not have been an uproar had some straight person done this stuff? Are you serious? This is ridiculous. All this empty headed bullshit about the “great artist” and his “performance”. How about performing some music Mr. Lambert? Aren’t you supposed to be a great singer? One thing that I and your cheerleaders here all have in common- we all could perform bad soft-core porn on stage. That’s the problem here. It’s not homophobia. Gay performers have been out for years.

Tony

Ubercon………you’re an idiot! You have COMPLETELY missed the boat! Hello! Sex sells…. and Adam was merely taking advantage of that fact, in his own way – which, so happens to be gay. He DID NOT DO ANYTHING that hasn’t been done before by… oh, let’s see Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Brooke Hogan and countless other FEMALES, but he is the VERY FIRST (GAY) MAN to show blatant sexuality!! That, is the WHOLE reason for the uproar. Adam is a good singer and he has a long career ahead of him, but that’s not the point! This was an AMA performance, which ARE ALWAYS over-the-top, no matter whom the performer might be. Have you SEEN any awards shows, lately???
Adam had EVERY RIGHT to do what he did… and shame on you for thinking that it was wrong to see OMG…… TWO MEN KISS !

(The tragedy, the horror of it all !) That’s exactly what the “moral majority” right-wing wants you to believe and to think! “Those homos” must be stopped, or they will take over the world and “convert” our children!

So, WAKE-UP ! No one, gives a damn about the “soft-core porn” antics, as you put it. It is THE FACT that two men kissed on a national stage and on film – where “straight society” and “straight children” could be corrupted!!

It’s called H O M O P H O B I A and Adam had enough “guts” to tear down the walls!!!!!

Gary Dee

It’s a tempest in a teacup, nothing more. As actor, Bradley Whitford stated, homophobia is the very last tacitly acceptable form of discrimination and that’s going by the board.

I’m of the generation that remembers when Elvis Presley’s hip swinging had preachers frothing at the mouth, at their pulpits. The public got over their shock quickly enough, ate it up, and turned him into an icon. Hmmm, we could be looking at an updated version of Elvis. I can’t think of a better person to claim that throne. As they say, the king is dead, long live the King!

Now, what the hell is the conservative right going to do when that weapon disappears from their arsenal? I guess they’re going to have to start discriminating against each other. LOL.
Jim

A TV poll said that 52% of those polled agreed Adam shouldn’t be on GMA – you can bet 50% of those were born agains – how sad they rather see two men beat the sit of one another than share a kiss. Only in America or third world countries are gays treated with such hatred.

lester

i agree with jim, we have so many other problems in this country let the right wing cry, who cares?

B. Tidwell

There absolutely is a double standard but this is the way to tear it down! I’ve heard several gay men this week saying something like “Yet another outrageous queen making us look bad!” I hope he keeps it up and in a few years, just like Madonna, he’ll be doing the same thing he did here and people will just yawn and say “Oh, Adam is just being “Adam”" The only way for gay men to get “permission” to express their desires in a public form is to just DO it!Eventually, people will get used to it. Three cheers for Adam! It’s passed time for gay men to stop being nothing more than sweet, amusing, well-groomed, and asexual.
Jim

I saw on TV poll that 52% polled agreed that he should have been banned from Good Morning America – you can bet your life that 50% of those were retarded born agains.Sad when people would rather see two men beat each other up than share a kiss. Only in America – or Third World countries are gays treated with such disdain.
Eric

No I dont think so.. Hes not the only one to give a controversial performance.. Madonna was doing this crap way back in the 80′s and she got just as much guff. I dont think its the fact because hes gay I think its just the fact that it was simulated sex on stage whether it be oral or grinding. When Madonna dry humped on stage in one of her performances it caused quite a stir even though im sure she did her experimenting for the most part she is straight. But none the less it was still a media event. Bottom line sex sells. I think Adam knew exactly what he was doing when he staged this performance.. and now Im sure his record sales will be escalating. Honestly I had no idea who Adam Lambert was as I dont watch American Idol I just happened to see the article on yahoo and read it and it perked my interest. Hes just trying to sell him self in the music industry and its working.
Ken

YES, there is a double standard, but who cares…Adam is an unbelievable performer. This performance was over the top, but that is Adam being Adam. I love him and look so forward to following the incredible career he has ahead of him. He is simply too talented to be pulled down by all this negativism!

Ken
http://www.rvbirdsofafeather.blogspot.com
Scott

The video can be seen from the main page of http://www.planetout.com

They post 4 daily topics, and Adam Lambert (with a link to his video) is one of the topics.

And yeah, I’ve seen worse on TV.
Kon Krypton

Adam has lots of talent and I’m glad he didn’t apologize. He’s right that there is a double standard. I saw him tonight on Letterman and he did a different song and was not as “out” but you could tell he was still being himself. The stuff he did at the AMAs was part of the song. This song was different, and so was Adam. As soon as he did that routine on the AMA’s I went and bought his album as a show of support.
Richard

DOUBLE STANDARDS have been in place for years and its about time an incredibly talented gay man BREAKS them to pieces! We’ve seen the lesbian stuff, the racist stuff and the homophobic rapp stuff for years and nothing gets said – but here comes an incredible gay man who people actually LIKE and he goes for broke and now a few people wanna have a hissy fit? GET OVER IT and YOUR SELVES!!!!! Welcome to the 21st century — ROCK ON ADAM — your amazing and you have my full support! THIS is how I always hoped rock-n-roll could be! KISS, BOWIE, BLACK SABBATH???? Yeah – its about time rock-n-roll came out of the KLOSET!!!! CANT wait to see this show live in DENVER!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU ADAM!!!!!!!
Steve

Yes, the uproar about the kiss is a double standard issue. The simulated fellatio, not so much. This is fine on a tour performance. One a network TV show, he is crossing a line that has nothing to do with being gay. Are memories that short that we can forget about the Janet Jackson mess.
dallas

His performance was totally acceptable except to the bible thumpers that cannot accept anything that does not fit into what they have been programed to believe in.
Joseph

It is without a doubt a feather in Adam’s hat that he is neither apologetic or arrogant about what happened. I agree with him 100%. He was doing what he does. Adam is just the first gay male doing what has been done for years by female performers. And I feel that we have seen far more shock value performances and actions from other celebrity performers.
What a shame he was cancelled by one network and “hats off” to the competing one that picked him up after ‘they’ cancelled.
otter46

The main reason that it was fine for good ole Madonna to kiss other female singers that straight men seem to get their jollies by watching women kissing, etc. On the other hand, maybe the same men say they are disgusted to see two men doing the same because just maybe it turns on a feeling that they find down deep compelling but God forbid they could admit it.
Jeremy

It pisses me off that other people can get away w/crap like this, but the instant a guy does it, he’s labled a male chanovist pig! What’s the big deal any way! I was watching the AMA’s and saw nothing wrong w/what Adam Lambert did. Any way I wish I was upon stage with him!!
Kevin

Yes Mr. Lambert is being treated with a double standard.
nothing was said about the lesbian kiss between Madanna, Britney and Christina. So is it to hard for people to allow others to show what is about that person.
Jess

I believe that people are in an uproar about Adam Lambert’s performance due to the fact that people are view homosexuality as a negative lifestyle and don’t approve. He doesn’t owe anybody an apology.

Joy brings up a good point by stating Madonna has masturbated on stage at one of her performances before; it’s the same thing.

Tomato; tomahto.

Jess

*[simulated masturbation]

Sound Off: Is the way Adam Lambert is Being Treated a Double Standard?

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