Editor's Letter: Let's Get Visible

For his new yet-to-be-titled album Adam Lambert says he has been writing and recording songs of a more personal nature. "Outlaws of Love" is one track that lyrically addresses the fact that Lambert and his boyfriend couldn't get married if they chose to do so. Paired with his new activism over the past year, the song (a live performance of its debut in Quebec is viewable online) is emblematic of a seemingly new openness in his life, and an evolution on his understanding of what it means to be a gay public figure.

Lambert allowed us a rare look into his life in the second annual "A Day in Gay America" project, in which we display photos of our readers all taken on a single day in August. Visibility is a key theme that connects both Lambert's interview and all the amazing photos you'll find in this issue. (The rest, along with much our editorial team's, are viewable on Advocate.com.) And the fact that he, and so many of you, chose to be out and proud, is no small demonstration of how far our movement has come.

We really enjoy putting this issue together, and so do you, judging by the 47% increase in submissions we received over last year. Your photos came from 40 states, and although we don't ask for gender identity, age, or ethnicity, it's abundantly clear that we are all sorts, a mixed bag in the best possible way. Allowing a glimpse into our lives and sharing it with a world of people we don't know feels like an expression of love. And it's clear from these pictures that we love our friends, our partners, our parents, our kids, our pets, our jobs, our bedrooms, our solitude, our vacations, our histories, and our dreams for a better future. And if these passions don't bind us together as a community, I don't know what possibly could. I hope you enjoy the images as much as we do.