Will Adam Lambert’s Gay Photos Hurt His Idol Chances?

While Adam Lambert has yet to give his two cents on the subject, photos of the Idol front-runner making out with another man at the Burning Man Festival—as well as a videos of him dry humping male back-up dancers at a club, have people assuming his sexual preference is not for the ladies.

While he’d hardly be the first homosexual to compete on American Idol, his romantic unavailability might impede his chances to woo some of the more conservative (and female) portions of the voting audience. From John Stevens to Sanjaya to Jason Castro, cutiepies tend to outlast their vocal limitations thanks to fans who just want a nice boy to scream at. Who thinks Clay Aiken would have had as many Claymates if he’d come out before the finals? And remember that David Hernandez was the first voted off the Top 12 last year, after it was revealed he’d worked as a stripper. Will Lambert’s talent win out, or will viewer prejudices keep his fanbase too small to advance him?