“That’s definitely something that I’ve got my mind on,” Lambert — who has just released his third studio album called The Original High — tells Samaritanmag. “I want to do something soon; I just haven’t figured out exactly what yet.
“I finished my Live Proud campaign with AT&T for the second year in a row this summer and it was an amazing campaign. It’s basically to raise awareness on how to just be yourself and be proud of yourself and not make apologies. I’m going to continue being myself and trying to lead by example, and, yeah, hopefully, come up with something.”
The Live Proud initiative encourages members of the LGBT community and their allies to express awareness, empowerment, and most importantly, to celebrate their pride. For the new campaign, the telecommunications company asks people to create a video expressing what makes you you, ending with the words “this is me.” You can also fill out a ballot for a chance to win a trip to New York’s Out100. The contest runs until Aug. 9 and is open to U.S. residents only.
Last year, the prize was a meet and greet with Lambert at a private event in New York City. People were asked to create “live proud” memes and share them on social media. Live Proud is in support of The Trevor Project, a 24/7 crisis intervention service for LGBTQ (and questioning) youth.
At the 2014 finale concert at Highline Ballroom, where Lambert performed, he said, “This campaign’s unbelievable. It’s a chance for LGBT people to have a voice. It’s a chance for us to be heard. It’s a chance for us to get creative. On behalf of members of the LGBT community, we get to come up with memes…they were incredible. Thank you guys so much.”
After singing an acoustic version of Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” he said, “I think the thing that binds together the LGBT community, the thing that defines us, is sexuality — which we all just want love don’t we? It’s all about love…love, man, it’s a tough game isn’t it? This is a song I wrote that’s a bit of a sad thing about love — and fighting for your chance to be in love with whoever you want to be in love with.”
Lambert then sang “Outlaws of Love,” from his 2012 album, Trespassing, which opens with the lines: “Oh, nowhere left to go / Are we getting closer, closer? / No, all we know is ‘No.’”
The chorus is: “Everywhere we go we’re looking for the sun / Nowhere to grow old, we’re always on the run / They say we’ll rot in Hell, but I don’t think we will / They’ve branded us enough, ‘Outlaws of Love’.”
Since then, of course, the landmark decision legalizing gay marriage in every state in America was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Samaritanmag spoke to Lambert before the June 26 ruling, but asked him how he felt about the strides that have been made since he appeared on American Idol and there was much to-do in the media about his sexuality.
“I think that we’ve proven the point that fans love music and if that’s coming from a real place, all the other stuff is just detail," he said.
Lambert, who in 2011 was given the Equality Idol Award at the Equality Awards and the GLAAD Davidson/Valentini Award by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has supported Dan Savage’s It Gets Better, The Trevor Project, Spirit Day, Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund, among many others, not always about LGBT. In 2010, Lambert told Samaritanmag about his involvement with DonorsChoose.org to help classrooms in need. The following year his 29th birthday campaign for charity: water raised more than $300,000 (USD) to provide clean water to 16,000 people and he asked his fans to help the same cause for his 30th.
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