Brody's Scribbles... Adam Lambert Kisses Keyboard Player: Tim Trent Fires Back

By Tim Trent (Bracknell, UK) Nov 30 | Look, I have no real idea who Adam Lambert is, but the tone of Jennifer Vanasco's article making a guest appearance here at Brody's Notes and Scribbles says that he is 'A Bad Thing'. He kissed another man, on the lips at a big awards do. And it was seen ~gasp~ on TV. And, according to Vanasco, this flamboyant act was wrong. To read the article you would think that Lambert had set the Black Power Movement back to asking politely if their chain might be removed because the slave chained next to them had died.

I think Vanasco is wrong. I wrote such a long comment under it that it turned into an article, so here that article is:

I come from a different culture. I come from England. You know, the land of the stiff upper lip, that land that has sex quietly, and in secret, the land that invented the missionary position.

I'm not criticising the author's stance in the USA. For the USA it may be correct. I don't know, I'm not there, nor do I want to be. It feels like a nation of so many small minded bigots, not the Land of the Free.

I'm just going to say that here, in England, whatever tabloid press might say afterwards, and they like any sensation, this would not be a big deal.

We have pretty much got to the point where it is Thursday here.

What do I mean?

I even forget where I saw it, but someone said "If a man walks a unicorn in the park today it's big news. If loads of people walk unicorns in the park people will say "Unicorn? Ah it must be Thursday'." I expect I've misquoted.

From my experience here, in England, the home of Boy George, Elton John, Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Alan Turing, George Michael, a whole slew of gay Members of Parliament, Michael Barrymore (unpleasant scandal, but his homosexuality is irrelevant), Kenneth Williams, John Inman, Larry Grayson, Julian Clary, Kenny Everett and so many more celebrity and ordinary gay figures, we understand homosexuality far better than the alleged Land of the Free.

So he kissed a keyboard player. So what? Or is the idea to make a big fuss about it?

Heck, the USA was once full of some Jackson woman's teat! It was only a teat! Or don't American woman have those things?

Why are people backing away from gays, Jennifer?

That gay marriage thing, for one. The campaign went badly wrong all by itself. LGBT folk tried to claim a hallowed word. Now the damage will take years to put right.

And way back, back in the beginning? Well, we were stupid over here, too. We had our gay movement shanghaied into adding the Paedophile Information Exchange into its number. You got NAMBLA. Folk don't forget that we and you appeared to promote having sex with kids. Heck even South Park pilloried NAMBLA.

So, from my admittedly ignorant perspective over here, I disagree roundly with the entire thrust of your article.

LGBT folk have extroverts in the same way that Good Ol' Boys have extroverts. I like extroverts, mostly. I'm sure I like some rednecks, too, and I dislike some LGBT people.

What I want it to be is Thursday.

And to make it Thursday? How do we make it Thursday?

We hope that more, many more Adam Lamberts will kiss many more keyboard players. We hope many more people will walk hand in hand with their same sex partner. We hope that more of your elected officials will come out as gay, gay, gay. We hope your captains of industry will come out as gay. If Kinsey was even close, 10% are anyway.

Flamboyant folk have helped hugely in the gay rights arena.They always have and they always will. Yes, even "I'm not queer and I'll sue anyone who says I am" Liberace.

It's silence that sets gay rights back, not flamboyant stage and TV appearances. 

Ah, so I am criticising the author's stance, then. Obviously I got that wrong up there at the top. I guess i opened my mouth and there was a bit more inside than I expected.

Tim Trent is a Data & Privacy expert as well as an independent freelance marketing consultant based in Bracknell, UK. He is one of Europe's leading experts in compliance with data privacy regulations, and is in the forefront of implementing Permission Based Marketing. He publishes regular articles on Data Protection.
A regular contributor to Brody's Notes & Scribbles, more of Tim's opinions can be found at his website, Marketing by Permission. [Linked Here]