Adam Lambert, thank you for being a tease

Friday’s New York Times had a nifty little article about everyone’s favorite American Idol eyeliner aficionado and maybe-gay Adam Lambert called American Idol's Big Tease, in which they confront the is-he-or-isn’t-he question head-on, but with a twist.

The question from writer Guy Trebay wasn’t so much whether Lambert is gay, but rather how this (maybe) gayness is processed in a post-Clay Aiken world, in which the guy who is widely presumed to be the AI frontrunner and the first in recent memory to bring notoriously fickle judge Simon Cowell to his feet may be able to succeed on his own terms. 

The nature of those terms however, are up for debate.

Are they an implicit belief from gay fans that Lambert is gay and from hetero fans of the Claymate variety that he’s just a Pete Wentz type that is just, you know, really into eyeliner and kissing guys from time to time? Will Lambert go on to pop stardom in the Prince mode, toying with sexuality and gender norms in his music and videos, stirring the pot while never quite blowing the lid off?

And is it anyone’s damn business either way?

Adam Lambert

Of course it is: this is American Idol after all, and the big question is whether the same country that just legalized gay marriage in two states is comfortable enough letting an openly gay man win one of its most popular televised competitions.

While I say yes, a gay person can win AI, Mr. Lambert may not be the rainbow-flag waving super gay to do it, at least not on those terms. Even if he does win, the big question can only be answered if Lambert or Idol makes some sort of unequivocal declaration of his sexuality, and so far both are keeping their lips sealed (although ironically it‘s that little picture with his lips decidedly unsealed that has added so much fuel to this fire).

While some on both sides are pulling their hair out in frustration waiting for it, I’ve always been a big fan of the chase, and, yes, the tease. I’m not sure which is more fun: speculating about Lambert’s sexuality online or with gay friends, or eyeballing every little move he makes on Idol to search for a signifier of allegiance to all of his (maybe) gay family that is rooting for him.

It’s called mystery, people, and in our sex tape/TMZ/omfgwhatdidchrisbrowndotorihannasface era of celebrity, I think that a lot of us have forgotten the allure it can have carry when it comes to our entertainers, especially our (maybe) gays like Adam Lambert. Now I’m not saying that there’s a certain “fun” taken away from speculating about our maybe-gays once they come out, but … when was the last time you thought about Lance Bass?