Adam Lambert is the latest celebrity to lend his voice to the "It Gets Better" project, aimed at sending strong, positive messages to LGBT youth in light of recent gay teen suicides.
The singer — one of the few openly gay major pop stars — encourages his fans to be who they are and not let bullies win. "It gets better," the "American Idol" runner-up says in the black-and-white clip that appears to have been filmed backstage at one of his shows, as evidenced by a rack of glam-tastic clothes behind him.
"It seems hard," he says. "I think being different is always going to be a tough climb. There's always going to be people that are going to be scared of it. 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. What you're doing by being who you are is you're keeping it real and being really brave."
In the 90-second clip. Lambert encourages viewers to have pride in themselves and tells them that he loves them just that way. Lambert is the latest star to post a video in the series, started by "Savage Love" columnist Dan Savage in response to the suicide of a 15-year-old Indiana boy who took his own life after being taunted by classmates for being gay. Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Aubrey O'Day have also posted clips or spoken out against bullying over the past few weeks.
"I believe in you. I think it's great," Lambert says. "There are a ton of us out here in this world that are just like you, that believe in you." He goes on to say that despite his success since leaving "American Idol," which has included world tours, a hit album and big-budget videos, he still struggles with homophobic bullying.
"Even someone like me, someone that has recently come into some success in his career," he says. "I'm touring the world, I have a CD out, I do music videos, I'm living my dream. Even I get bullied. You look under any comment section on any article, and there's bullies in there telling me that I'm a f----t, that I'm ugly, that I'm gross — 'Ew, gross, nasty, he's a girly' — all this crap. I'm singled out and it's all 'gay, gay, gay, gay, gay,' even though there is so much more to me than just who I choose to sleep with. ...
"So the thing at the end of the day is, ladies and gentlemen, that you are so much more than your orientation," he continues. "You know it and I know it. So don't let those bullies and those ignorant, fearful, small-minded people prove you wrong. You have to be strong, and you have to pay attention to the positive. And in doing so, you will push through and you will rise up and you will live your life to the fullest. It gets better, but it's up to you."