Is America Ready For a Gay 'Idol'?

Though 'American Idol' hasn't commented either way, photos of a man who uncannily resembles contestant Adam Lambert kissing other men have made their way around the Internet, painting a suggestive picture of Lambert's sexuality. Is America ready to crown a most-likely-gay 'Idol?' Looks like it.

The New York Times wonders if even asking the question of whether a gay man can win a contest judged by American citizens is outdated in the current political climate. With recent decisions in Iowa and Vermont to legalize gay marriage - along with the Clay Aiken's anti-climactic move out of the closet after 6 years of speculation - is Adam Lambert's sexuality an issue at all?

Bill O'Reilly asked his Fox News show audience, "These pictures that hint that he is gay, will they have an effect on this program, which is a cultural phenomenon in America?"

David Ehrenstein, the writer of Fablog, says no. The NY Times quotes Ehrenstein, a Los Angeles film critic, who says,"The entire system is changing so rapidly it is not to be believed... I see us as living in the post-Neil Patrick Harris era." Ehrenstein recalls the actor's People magazine interview exposing his own homosexuality. "He crossed the Rubicon. He did the 'sudden death' play. Supposedly you come out and your career is over. He came out and his career is in better shape than it ever was."

That's not to say that Lambert's sexuality is uninteresting to viewers. Joe Jervis, a gay activist blogger who runs the site Joe My God, recently recorded 50,000 hits from people searching the term "Is Adam Lambert Gay?"

Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out magazine, points out that gender-ambiguous stars are nothing new, giving Prince, David Bowie and even Pete Wentz as examples. "The difference now is that previously the conversation about sexuality has not been as public. When Liberace was around, there was no real way to talk about this stuff," he says, referrring to the flamboyant pianist who repeatedly denied being gay, though by modern standards, his homosexuality would have seemed crystal clear.

"The gay thing got derailed by the way many straight guys started playing with image," Hicklin adds. "Pete Wentz wears makeup and clearly is confident enough not to be threatened by any assumptions his fans or nonfans might come to."

The question of Lambert's sexuality may cause a spike in traffic for sites like Joe My God, but the answer might not have an effect on his success. Lambert is widely considered a sure bet for the top two in the competition - and, in fact, has never made it into 'American Idol's' dreaded bottom three. Suggestive photos or not, America is voting for Adam Lambert.

...and I am DEFINITELY voting for Adam and predicting that he will win the Idol title this year (but, I still love my Danny Gokey).