ABCThere have been 18 American Idol winners in total, but there’s never been an openly gay American Idol winner — until now, apparently.
Newly-crowed winner Just Sam is the first American Idol winner from New York, and the first woman of color to take the crown in seven years. But as the New York Post reports, she’s also the first LGBTQ champ in the show’s history.
In an interview with the paper, Sam says, “I am a child of God, so that’s always gonna be first. That’s actually the only label that I ever want to have. But I like what I like, and that’s just that, you know? And it’s not men. Like, at all.”
Just Sam’s Instagram account profile also reads “CHILD OF GOD FIRST,” followed by a rainbow emoji, the traditional symbol of the LGBTQ community.
You may remember the controversy over Adam Lambert, the runner-up on season eight: He didn’t confirm his sexuality until after the show was over. The very first American Idol finalist to come out publicly was season one’s Jim Verraros but he, too, didn’t come out until after the show was over. Since then, there have been a number of openly LGBTQ finalists, including drag queen Ada Vox.
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