August 15, 2011 | Celeb Watch

Adam Levine takes on American Idol

Adam Levine has always enjoyed a solid fan-base. After all, the front man for Maroon 5 is responsible for radio-friendly hits like “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved,” and “Makes Me Wonder.” But he really became famous after appearing as one of the judges on this year's big summer hit, The Voice, on NBC.

Of course, gay men took notice. He is hot, after all! And you may be happy to know that he's a very vocal ally for gay rights, thanks to growing up with a gay brother.

“I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired,” he told Out. “Trust me, you’re born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was two. We all knew.”

And he has advice for parents who think their child might be gay. “A lot of people don’t want their kid to be gay and will fight it at all costs. But I’ve got news for you—it’s a losing fucking battle. The more you fight it, the more fucked-up your kid’s gonna be. You’ve just gotta embrace it from the beginning.”

He then took a shot of American Idol over allegations the show encourages contestants to stay in the closet. 

“What’s always pissed me off about Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken,” he said. “C’mon. You can’t be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can’t hide basic components of these people’s lives. The fact that ‘The Voice’ didn’t have any qualms about being completely about it is a great thing.”

You can read Levine's full interview with Out here.