'Stand up and let the world know.'

Adam Lambert comes out. (Image from Rolling Stone.)

On MSNBC just now, as I prepared to post the cover photo, Courtney Hazlett discussed the Adam Lambert Rolling Stone cover, saying: “The real question is: ‘Why does he feel the need to come out at all?’”

In fairness, host Contessa Brewer was visibly annoyed with Hazlett’s line of thought, saying simply that many people were asking.  Hello, it’s Pride Month!  In addition, of course, an increased number of out public figures always is helpful for advancing equality and sharing LGBT stories.

At that, the blog post by Ryan Seacrest announcing the cover is either incidentally amusing or Ryan’s attempt at the most subtle coming-out moment ever (hint: just read the url).

From the Rolling Stone teaser of the article:

The flamboyant Idol singer hits our cover and bares all, talking about his childhood (”I started to realize I wasn’t like every other boy,” he says), the drug-fueled Burning Man epiphany that led him to AI (”I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen,” he tells RS) and his run on the show (”I was like, ‘I’m going to glue rhinestones on my eyelids, bitch!’ “). And yes, he talks about his sexuality. “Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, ‘I’m going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler,’ ” he tells us. “I didn’t want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context.

No, it’s not Earth-shattering that Lambert is gay or that he came out, and — as he even says — he’s not doing this to become a “civil-rights leader.”  But, as that Gallup poll from last week showed us, and as Harvey Milk told us:

I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let the world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody could imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights.

Aaron Tveit (l) and James Franco in Howl. (Image from Entertainment Weekly.)

Speaking of great figures in gay American history (and, hopefully, great biopics), I found this picture in Entertainment Weekly from the upcoming Howl, which will give James Franco another boyfriend: the quickly rising star seen multiple times at the Sunday’s Tony Awards, Aaron Tveit. From EW:

Produced by Gus Van Sant, the movie revolves around the titular [Allen] Ginsberg work from 1956 that turned him into a literary superstar. ”All his uncertainty culminates in the poem ‘Howl’ and gives birth to the Ginsberg we know,” says Franco.

Franco plays Ginsberg, and Tveit will play Peter Orlovsky, Ginsberg’s lifelong companion.

Should be exciting.

Meanwhile, Anderson Cooper has hosted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell poster boy Lt. Dan Choi more than once, providing a valued critique of what has been seen as President Obama’s lack of leadership on LGBT issues.  In the wake of Monday’s Supreme Court action, Anderson had on Choi again.  At one point, though, Choi, who is openly gay and fighting for his career, raised the Milk-inspired importance of being out and honest to Anderson, who has media outlets repeatedly declaring that he is gay but himself stays mum and bathes in the spotlight of his fabulous career.  Needless to say, the interview quickly ended at that point. From the interview:

Choi: In fact, when a soldier is honest, when they’re actually able to have the confidence within their unit to talk about who they are, the unit gets stronger.  The same thing with any organization, whether it be a church, or a workplace, a family.  When we have the foundation of honesty, everything gets stronger –

Anderson: Oh, we gotta leave it there.  Lt. Choi, we’ll continue to follow your story.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs6-0NxNnyg]

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