Idol Speculation: Queer Identity and a Media-Imposed Lens of Detection

Abstract

This article examines the media speculation and discussion surrounding the sexuality of 2009 American Idol contestant Adam Lambert. Introducing the concept of a “lens of detection,” it argues that the media coverage portrayed Lambert as a closeted gay man and encouraged viewers to watch his onscreen performances for clues that supposedly confirmed this identity. As Lambert remained queerly ambiguous in the series' broadcasts, the media's insistence on his gayness functioned to close off the disruption that he posed to the gay/straight binary as a gender-nonconforming performer who refused to disclose his sexuality. This media-imposed lens of detection has significant implications for how audiences may be positioned to understand queer representations in media texts: by pushing viewers to make sense of nonnormative performances of self through hegemonic gender norms, it limits the possibilities for representations to challenge—and discourages viewers from thinking outside of—dominant understandings of sexuality.