Singer Adam Lambert says he is no
longer uncomfortable being a gay role model and activist.
When the 31-year-old Lambert came out
publicly in 2009 on the cover of Rolling Stone after
his second-place finish on American Idol, he said that
he was reluctant to speak out on gay rights.
In recent comments to gay weekly South
Florida Gay News, Lambert explained that he was “intimidated
by it at first.”
“I'm totally comfortable with it
now,” Lambert said. “You know, it's weird, I was just being
honest. It's a bit daunting. You're a role model or icon or you're
supposed to try to be one, so I was intimated by it at first. I
didn't realize that was going to come with everything. I was just
trying to sing.”
Lambert said he didn't have a gay role
model growing up in California.
“If I can help a young person feel
more comfortable in their own skin or be the person they want to be,
it's fucking awesome,” Lambert added.
(Related: Adam
Lambert to headline Miami Beach Gay Pride.)