It’s something that our latest cover star has experienced for himself. When Sam Smith won an Academy Award for his Bond theme Writing’s on the Wall, he made the mistake of suggesting he was the first out gay man to win an Oscar. The truth is that several out gay men have stood up on that stage and held one of the famous statuettes, just never in recognition of their acting. But, although Sam began his acceptance speech by saying he wasn’t even sure of his claim, not to mention the fact that he was nervous speaking to an estimated audience of 90 million, before he’d even made it back to his seat he was being roundly savaged on social media.
And this was despite the fact — as he tells Sir Elton John in our world-exclusive interview — that his intentions were good. And that he’d just released an album full of lyrics exploring his unrequited love for another man; and not at the end of his career, when he had nothing to lose, but right at the start, when there was still some fear that being an out gay artist could stand in the way of mainstream success. This was an album he promoted and performed all over the world, without ever making any attempt to hide or apologise for his sexuality.