Adam Lambert’s Bold Message to Homophobes: ‘Get Over It. Mind Your Own Business!’
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Adam Lambert kicked off his Pride festivities with a powerful performance headlining WeHo Pride during the first weekend of June. “It was great to see the community out there,” Lambert told The Advocate. “It felt like a very supportive celebration, all of us together. You know, I lived in West Hollywood for over 20 years, and I’ve never performed in Pride, so it was a long time coming, and it felt great.”
Lambert’s journey with Pride events began in his early twenties in San Diego, right after high school graduation. Since then, he has been a regular at these celebrations, witnessing significant changes over the years. “For example, drag was not what it was now. We have so many of our drag superstars in our community who have become such a focal point and an exciting sort of representation of everything we are. And so you see a lot more drag in Pride events which is a great thing.”
His rise to fame in 2009, after finishing second in the eighth season of American Idol, marked a turning point. Over the past decade, Lambert has become a global music sensation, selling millions of albums and singles worldwide. Since 2012, he has performed as the lead singer for the iconic rock group Queen, recently completing a global tour.
Now a global superstar, Lambert has headlined numerous Pride events. “I did London last year, and have been to Miami, Pittsburgh, and I did Mardi Gras in Australia, so it’s such a privilege to be a part of these events all over the place,” he said.
Lambert has noticed a growing spirit of rebellion at Pride events. “I think people really feel so much more empowered, and that they can be exactly what and who they are.” This sense of empowerment is reflected in his new music, set for release next month, featuring EDM songs and a new EP with tracks like “Lube” and “Wet Dream.” The third song from the EP, “CVNTY,” is set to drop soon. “It’s a little bit of a break from rock and Queen music,” Lambert joked. “I’m singing about intimacy, partying, hedonism, and lust—all the wonderful things that make us bedroom creatures! It’s a lot of fun. It’s fast. There’s some theatricality to it. It has some drama to it, and it’s dreamy, I think those are the two words that I would give it.”
Lambert’s bold, unapologetic music aligns with his stance against homophobia and bigotry. “Their hate is not going to dull my light. In fact, in some ways, it fuels my fire. I feel like now more than ever, it’s time to express whatever I want to express. And if someone has a problem with it, I would prefer if they just ignored me. You got a problem with it? Get over it. Mind your own business,” he declared. “I don’t understand why the haters out there focus so specifically on things they don’t like. You don’t have to like everything. That’s society. We’re in a free world. We’re supposed to be in a free society, where everyone has the freedom to express themselves as long as you’re not hurting anybody. There’s plenty more that we need to be focusing on other than who people are sleeping with and what identity people want to see themselves as.”
Lambert compared the animosity toward queer people to a pendulum swinging back and forth. “We’ve been dealing with this forever. If you look back at the last 15 years, there’s been a lot of progress. We pushed really hard, and our community has come a very long way, and of course, there’s going to be pushback, but I hope that anybody out there seeing that hate and seeing that negativity takes it – now I know this sounds strange – as a compliment.”
According to Lambert, the progress made by the LGBTQ+ community is evident. “These types of people wouldn’t be so threatened. So, it’s just a response to the beautiful work we’ve done as a community.”
Looking forward, Lambert is optimistic about the future for younger queer generations. “I think we all can take pride in the next generation coming up. I don’t think they’re going to be intimidated into hiding. There’s a real, bold sense of self in our community now. People are empowered to be verbal and public about who and what they are in a way that we’ve never had before. There will be attempts to censor us and to dim our light and quiet us down. But I really don’t think it’s going to work.”
As Pride continues to evolve and grow, Adam Lambert’s message remains clear: Stand tall, be proud, and never let hate dim your light.
