well, it's been speculated about david hernandez being gay for a while now, so it's not a big surprise that people are really digging up the wanna-be idol's past.

but i am having a hard time with how his past is being portrayed.  i know it is impossible for society as a whole to be bias-free when it comes to the activities he is being associated with, but i hate the idea that this information is being twisted into a reason to perhaps disqualify him from the idol competiton.

people have pasts. people make mistakes. people are human.  and i am not trying to say that david's gay "stripper" past is something he should be ashamed about, but others are and it's just fucking annoying.  it seems that people want to make an issue of it because he is most likely gay and the fact that he was an exotic dancer at a gay bar makes him a dubious character.  well, fuck off!  he's young and he did what he felt he had to do to survive.  not everyone is going to be born to the manor with a silver spoon in their mouth.  and if the american idol is supposed to represent america, well, folks, he is living the life that many americans are.  people who struggle to get by, who try to use a gift that they have been given to get ahead.

ironically, we've accepted "hard-living" pasts when it comes to sports personalities; guys who came from playing street ball whose talents and skills are good enough to get them to the n.b.a. or the n.f.l.  but who still ran the streets like any other street kid.  so i wonder, how many of them would have had their pasts dug up had their pasts been associated with the gay community or any alleged gay activities.

and to be fair, why aren't people playing the morality game more with amanda overmyer.  she is a nurse who got cited for drunk driving along with some other not-so-minor moving violations.  that's pretty morally reprehensible, especially when you take into consideration that her violations actually could have resulted in injury and even death.  as far as i know, lap dancing never killed anyone one, but drunk driving and speeding definitely has.

so yeah, there is talk about her and her past but when it comes to all the jibber-jabber about david it all feels more vindictive.  i just hope that he can rise above all the media scrutiny and perhaps even use his experience as a dancer to "sex up" his singing performance.  i also hope that the other alleged gay guy in the competition, danny noriega, doesn't fall prey to the pressure of having to hide his true character and personality because of the media's current obsession to "cut a bitch" for wanting to be a pop star.

come to think of it, i almost think the media isn't trashing danny noriega so much because he isn't so secretive about who he is and what he is.  it is most obvious that he isn't exactly a butch straight boy, which really kills the drama of trying to "out" him.  and for being so flamboyant, i think he has garnered some sort of reprieve from the media machine that hasn't been so kind to the likes of david hernandez or even past idol participant, clay aiken. 

anyway, i hope david hernandez really makes mainstream america think about what they think being gay is and what that has to do with a person's singing talent.  it shouldn't have anything to do with it, right?  it really seems even more important to this season's competition because it's being bandied about so much already and it doesn't look like the specualting isn't going to end anytime soon.  so i won't be surprised if the other male contestants' names are dragged through the proverbial dirt.

as of now, i feel like this season is really laden with gay talent.  and not to spread rumors, i do feel like luke menard, david archuleta and michael johns may also be playing for the rainbow team.  sure, part of that is my own personal fantasy, but if they do happen to be gay, it will truly make this an important season to watch.  not like it isn't already, but how exciting would it be to have the first openly gay american idol, if the media would just allow these guys, whether they be gay or straight, to show their true selves.

all i know is that there is a nice mix of talented vocalists who are adding some personality to this season's competition.  and i hope that the winner of this season isn't based solely on a judgment call regarding that person's sexual orientation.