Adam Lambert has said that the pushback in the U.S. against the LGBTQ+ community is rooted in detractors being "scared" and "confused."
In recent months, several large U.S. brands have been targeted with boycott calls. A host of different companies have unveiled products supporting Pride Month, which takes place every June. Companies supporting the LGBTQ+ community outside of Pride Month have also faced backlash from conservatives.
The current wave was heightened in April, when Bud Light was targeted for a small branded partnership it did with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Retailer Target has also been the subject of calls for boycotts and has said it received bomb threats after introducing its 2023 line of Pride Month merchandise.
Despite such inclusive marketing and branding initiatives being commonplace among corporations for years, many have become engulfed in controversy. Some experts have pinned the blame on a small number of influential far-right figures orchestrating a plan to make support for LGBTQ+ communities toxic for major companies.
Additionally, drag queens have become a talking point across the political spectrum. States such as Tennessee and Kentucky have passed legislation banning drag shows from being performed in public or in front of children.
Queen singer Lambert, 41, addressed the current climate when he made an appearance on U.K. TV show This Morning in London. He is due to perform during the city's upcoming Pride celebrations.
"There's different attitudes in different countries for sure," the American Idol alum told his interviewers. "Right now, even in the U.S., you're seeing a strange sort of pushback... And it's probably in response to the fact that we're shining so brightly and so beautifully.
"The community has come really far, and we've made a lot of strides and our equality is starting to come around," Lambert added. "But there's always gonna be people that are a little scared of what they don't understand, or reject something that they are confused about.
"For me, being a gay man in media has been a really interesting journey, one that I'm really grateful for," he said elsewhere in the interview. "And I think that over the past decade or so, you've seen a big shift in acceptance and visibility and all these things. People understand it more now. They're less scared of it. I think it's nice to be a part of the force that helps people open their minds."
Lambert also spoke of the importance of LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations, saying that it boosts "visibility" and reminds people that they are "not alone."
"I think Pride reminds people of that, that there is community, there is a big family," Lambert said. "Some people are not fortunate enough to have their real families accept them for who they are. And so the thing that's so beautiful about Pride is it gives you the sense of an adopted family. And I think that that's something that we all really enjoy about this time of year, is the community."
In May, Lambert released a video in which he took aim at those attacking drag queens. After sharing the clip, he appeared at the Drag Isn't Dangerous livestream telethon. The event raised more than $500,000 for LGBTQ+ charities. These included groups fighting anti-drag legislation in such states as Florida and Tennessee.
"Drag is joy. It's a celebration of all the things that make queer people who we are," Lambert said in the video posted on social media. "Drag is an amazing way to bring light to the world. And these lawmakers are terrified of just how brightly we're shining. They're using children as an excuse to take one more thing away from us.
"Well, they're clearly threatened that we are living our truth, that we aren't apologizing for it anymore," Lambert added. "And, using the children as this tool against us, it doesn't make any sense. If they cared about children, they would care about all children.
"These laws could be very easily manipulated in order to target and punish people in our community," Lambert said. "So let's come together and protect our drag entertainers in our community and protect the freedom of speech that we all have a right to in this country."
During the Drag Isn't Dangerous telethon, RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage criticized the state legislatures taking aim at drag performances.
"I wish I could say that I am glad to be here, but I am appalled I have to be at something called Drag Isn't Dangerous," Visage said, per Billboard. "Imagine a world where dancers are told they can't dance; imagine a world where artists are told they cannot take paint to canvas... because it is 'bad for children.' That is what is happening to drag right now."
The event also included testimonials from LGBTQ+ entertainers and allies, including Charlize Theron, Sarah Silverman, Melissa McCarthy and Margaret Cho.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
