I’m an American Idol fan. I didn’t watch the first season, when Kelly Clarkson won, but I have seen almost every other season since. Watching thousands of Idol hopefuls showcase their vocal chops in search of a pipe dream is beguiling and, like most of America, I was instantly hooked. At first, I just watched quietly. But then I began to notice that the gay community isn’t exactly fairly represented.

Throughout the six seasons, there have been countless gay individuals who have been ridiculed on national television. While this isn’t uncommon for those people who choose to embarrass themselves by auditioning when they know they aren’t the greatest singers, or for those who are just plain weird, it seems that AI almost goes out of its way to air the auditions of questionably gay contestants who may appear odd or freakish to the general public.

For example, Randy Jackson asked Zachary Travis, a contestant on last season’s show, if he was a girl. It was obvious that Travis was indeed a boy, though he could have passed as a drag queen. What made it worse was that he chose to sing, “Queen of the Night.” Then, after being rejected and made fun of for his appearance, AI played The Crying Game theme as Travis cried in front of his family.

I understand that most contestants who aren’t up to snuff receive ridicule and cruel comments from the judges whether they are gay or straight. But sexual orientation isn’t the same as a crazy outfit or a terrible singing voice. Going that extra inch to insult someone’s orientation, whether questionable or not, isn’t right on any level.

It’s widely known that AI uses its pre-auditioning process (the beginning part of the show, where the three notorious judges, salty Simon, peculiar Paula and raucous Randy, travel to different cities in search of the best singing talent in the country) mostly to attract attention and ratings. They not only search to find raw talent but also search to find the most horrible contestants as well. This, of course, is a perfect recipe entertainment as far as ratings are concerned but it’s not the part of the show that I enjoy watching.

What I enjoy most about the competition, are the weeks following the pick of the top twelve. They are the most entertaining because it gets down to serious competition. What I wonder, though, is if gay contestants have an equal shot? Is there a bias against them because of how the public might react? Do the judges take orientation into consideration?

American Idol’s audience is made up mostly of Middle America. What sells is what is appealing to the general public. Just take a look at past winners; a lot of them are cookie cutter pop stars. Even if Clay Aiken were gay, which I happen to think he is, coming clean about that on the show wouldn’t have helped him at all. I seriously doubt that he would have gotten as far as he had in the competition. Any Idol constant that might be suspected of being gay wouldn’t dare touch on the subject because of fear that it might hurt their chances. Openly gay finalist Jim Verraros, from the first season, admitted this in an interview to 365gay.com. He was the closest thing to a gay Idol and he was good, but unfortunately not good enough. I’m hoping that maybe this season will be different. It’s like waiting for the first woman president. Could this be the year? Is America ready for an openly gay Idol?

I guess I’ll just have to watch and see.