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Is that a rising star in the back of your closet?

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News - Various sections of the media (I'm mostly talking bloggers - you know the kind - darn bloggers...) are going crazy over the seeming suppression of sexuality faced by young talented individuals.

You would think that with the proliferation of gay celebrities I get to write about these days, it wouldn't still be seen as a hindrance. But there are rumblings stateside over the marketing of Adam Lambert and Chris Colfer.

Adam Lambert was the runner-up in American Idol. He was unofficially out for most of the competition, then officially out after an interview with Rolling Stone, after pictures of him kissing a man had emerged. He's never claimed that it is an issue. But in the run-up to his album release (For Your Entertainment) his management refused a cover on Out magazine. Adam himself would rather have not caused a fuss about it, but Out threw their handbag around and garnered some more media attention.

Is it the case that 19 Entertainment didn't want Lambert to appear 'too gay' (Ha - have you seen that album cover?), or are Out just a bit bitter about the snub?

Meanwhile the star of Glee, Chris Colfer, has been censored by Fox in an interview he gave to The Advocate. One of the questions the interviewer asked was if he was "out" during his high school years. Chris responsded: "Oh, no. People are killed in my hometown for that!" That section was later removed from the website. There's a strong indication from close sources that it was because the studio didn't want one of its young stars given the 'gay actor' label. But it could equally have been because they didn't want to offend his hometown of Clovis!

Gay commentators have been quick to anger over what could be the 'encloseting' of popular entertainers, particularly young people. But I do think a little caution should be used before we force the likes of Adam and Chris to become figureheads of 'outness'. For a lot of young people today, being gay is a part of normality and not something they feel they have to either 'announce' or 'keep hidden'. It seems to me that many of them are confident enough to play the happy medium and not turn it into a drama - unlike reporters and managers!

Out and proud celebrities:

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