Every year during the slow news season known as the Holidays, media companies put out their lists of the top 100 so and so in order to bring together a bunch of noteworthy famous individuals into a magazine people will want to read.
Out Magazine (the magazine about same-sex loving folks) came out with their 100 list people they consider to be outstanding and inspiring.
Inside the issue the editor Aaron Hicklin writes about the awkward handling Adam Lambert's management team had with including him in the issue, complaining that:
It's only because this cover is a group shot that includes a straight woman that your team would allow you to be photographed at all - albeit with the caveat that we must avoid making you look "too gay."...Getting straight men and women to do Out is easy these days. It gives them cred. Getting gay stars like yourself is another matter. Much easier to stick you in Details, where your homosexuality can be neutralized by having you awkwardly grabbing a woman's breast and saying, "Women are pretty." So are kittens, Adam, but it doesn't mean you have to make out with them.
Oh no he didn't! Adam responded on his twitter:
It seems being in Out's 100 list is a mixed blessing. Although it's great to be celebrated for your achievements, it's also painful and awkward to be held up as a cliche of yourself. Why the editor put out a letter complaining about the people in the issue is beyond me. If they are really so upset at Adam and his peeps demanding he be photographed next to Cyndi, why have him on the cover at all? Why hate when you can celebrate?
I feel his pain. I imagine it can't be easy to balance out being open about your sexuality and trying to reach mainstream audience. It's a noble task, and I celebrate him for trying to do it as a gay man.
If you wonder why Anderson Cooper doesn't come out of the closet, this is a reason why.
In the past we've felt the love from Out magazine, and other times felt their cold shoulder too. I celebrate their recognition of two great bloggers, Pam Spaulding and Arjan but wish they could have included people like Cleve Jones or Gaye Adegbalola on the list. And of course, we'd like to see ourselves on that list too!
We're thrilled they included some of our favorite guests: Ongina, Bebe Zahara Benet and Matt Albert on the list and we hope that their appearance on our show helped move their careers forward. Best of luck to you all!
Our guests are the backbone of our talk show and if we win the Peoples Choice Podcast Award, our awards also belongs to them.
When these types of lists come out they make me to think about who inspires me
It's time to think beyond the list and think about who personally inspires us. Who inspires you? I'd like to say many of the great guests we've had on the show in the past year motivate me personally to continue to work to put out this blog and podcast, but we'd like to hear from you, who rocks your world. Who should be on the list of 100 of the most fabulous people?
Filed under: Chicago Gay Scene, People
Tags: famous gays, oout 100
Magazines don't always get to choose who is participates and who doesn't. I always hear people complaining when people are left off of lists -- but a lot of times it's because the person wasn't available to be shot or simply said "thanks but no thanks." Also -- I know that Out magazine won't choose someone that they chose the year before -- even if they had another huge year and that there's LOTS of behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into securing talent for an issue. It's not always so easy as "we want this person! put them in the magazine." But then again -- most people don't work in the industry so they have no clue how things happen. But super happy to Arjan in there! His site is great and he's SO CUTE.
Out magazine put Anderson Cooper and Jodie Foster (sort of) as illustrations about closeted celebrities. So why not create an issue about who they love? Why hate on one of the people they put on the cover (Adam Lambert) inside the magazine? I'm not feeling the love from Out Magazine these days. But I seriously do appreciate their efforts and congratulate them when they do hit the nail on the head. In this case, they missed their mark.