Has "American Idol" reached its gay tipping point?

Over the years we've discussed at length the curious relationship that Planet-Eating Karaoke Voltron American Idol has with its gay contestants and gay fans. For one, there has yet to be an out gay contestant on a show that is essentially a televised cabaret act. For another, the gay-baiting between Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest is utterly nauseating. Is Idol stuffing its contestants in the closet, or are the gay contestants intimidated by the unwelcoming environment?

This year two contestants in particular have raised this discussion to a new level of coverage in mainstream media. First, David Hernandez was revealed to have a past working as a stripper at a gay club. Now, I personally have issues with mainstream press calling this a "gay scandal". Was he caught having sex with a man? No. Was he photographed at an ACT UP! rally? No. Let's face it, people get into the entertainment industry to make money, and a lot of straight guys have no problem taking it off for gay men (thankfully).

His proximity to gay men and willingness to accept their cash does not make him gay, and it does not qualify as a legit "gay scandal". What, is anyone who works for a gay man at risk of being splashed all over the tabloids? I think we need a more specific term for people who are revealed to have pasts that included working with or for gay men without implicating their sexualities in the process.

How about "gay-adjacent"? I'm more comfortable saying that Hernandez was revealed to have a "gay-adjacent" past than that he was caught in a "gay scandal".

And then there's Danny Noriega. Do we know if Noriega is gay? No, we don't (unless you want to take his in-character rapping at face value). But his flamboyance and lack of concern for putting across a traditionally masculine image are certainly admirable on a show that regularly denounces male contestants for being "girly", and many gays have embraced him as a Sister Suffrigette for gay visibility. So maybe he's "gay-adjacent" too ... and no, I'm not saying that because he's standing next to Seacrest.

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But is he being laughed at, and not with (like Sanjaya Malakar, who became a gay punchline - despite not being gay, or openly so - and a laughingstock for breaking the mold)? And will the voters (whoever the heck they are) opt to keep these gay-adjacent fellas in the ring? Last night Cowell made a crack about Hernandez "stripping it down" and Noriega gave seacrest a "mm-hmm" that would put Christian from Project Runway to shame.

Only time will tell ... in the meantime, our resident Idol expert Jim Verraros (an out former finalist, so, uh, he'd know!) will keep everyone up-to-date on our Idol Chat weekly vlog.