Thank You Adam Lambert, From One Bullied Teen to Another
The gay singer reaches out to kids who have been targeted because of their sexuality.
- Carolyn French, BettyConfidential.com
As someone who was bullied as an adolescent, I am grateful to Adam Lambert for his desire to get in touch with those who are suffering.
The 28-year-old superstar recently recorded a message aimed at queer youth for gay columnist Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project, which comes on the heels of the anti-bullying PSA led by Anne Hathaway.
Lambert certainly experienced his fair share of cruel comments and general ignorance over the years. Because of the recent suicides among gay teens, Adam wanted to support teenagers who feel attacked and alone.
"There's always going be people that are scared of it," he says in the video. "But at the end of the day, if you give those bullies and those people that are so ignorant and fearful of your lifestyle, if you give them the power to affect you, you're letting them win, and they don't deserve that..."
Lambert also made sure to add a very important message that teens - gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered - don't hear enough from parents and friends, "I believe in you."
I have been a victim of bullying, and I know how awful it feels to be harassed because of your sexual orientation and/or physical appearance. When I was in junior high, two boys began following me around, calling me names, and bumping into me in the halls - all because I decided to cut my hair short. It got so bad that my mom had to speak to the principal, which didn't seem to help much.
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One day I was walking down the path that led from my school to the street below with a couple friends. I soon knew the boys were behind me because it was impossible to ignore their jeers… "Hey! Are you a girl, or a boy?", "Are you a dyke?!", "Hey, he-she, we're talking to you!"
I had had enough. I turned around, marched right up to them, told them they needed to stop and shoved the louder one off his skateboard. My adrenaline was through the roof; they were stunned! After a few minutes I heard "You better be careful, or we'll have to mess up your face," to which I replied "Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' hun!"
To my amazement, I never heard a peep from them after that day. I know that most kids aren't so lucky, and I hope that these recent tragedies will teach small-minded teens to think about the strong effect they have on their fellow peers.
Carolyn French is an assistant editor at BettyConfidential.
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