Recently Adam Levine made headlines when he said that if he were US president for a day, the first thing he’d do is make gay marriage legal. In an interview with Pride Source, The Maroon 5 frontman says his pro-marriage equality views have little to do with the fact that he has a gay brother.
From Pride Source.
Of all the things you could've said, why did you tell MTV that you'd legalize gay marriage first if you were president?
It's just so silly and it doesn't make any sense to me that you wouldn't be able to marry whomever you want to marry. It's not our business. I don't know why we're obsessed with making everything in this country our business, all the time. It seems we're a little behind on that, and we just need to make it legal and stop caring so much. It doesn't matter. And it shouldn't matter.
What would you say to other straight people who don't agree with you on the marriage issue?
Listen, I'm always willing to hear all sides of all arguments. Anyone who doesn't agree with it is essentially putting themselves above other people. That's what they're doing. And that's not OK with me.
People have their personal preferences as to what they want to do with their own lives, and they have every right to do that - just like a gay couple has every right to do that. It's just not anyone's business except the people involved. That's all I would say: "What makes you better than these people?"
People have a million different justifications and reasons why they don't want (gay marriage) allowed, but it doesn't check out. Whenever I hear people's reasoning behind it, I think to myself: First of all, marriage isn't always successful anyway. Look at the divorce rate and all the things that go wrong with marriage. Whether it's gay or straight, there are issues with it. Clearly people have a hard time staying together, and that's just a sad truth about marriage in our society. People should be allowed to succeed and fail at marriage as they so desire.
Has having a gay brother influenced how outspoken you've become for the gay community?
I don't think that having a gay brother has affected the way I feel about it, because I would feel the same way regardless. I happen to have a gay brother, but that doesn't mean I'm more of an advocate for equal human rights. That shouldn't change anything about the way that I feel.
But he's your brother, so certainly some of your passion for gay rights is an extension of that relationship, right?
Of course! That contributes on some level to the way that I feel. But I don't know - I don't think I would feel any differently if he happened to be straight. The relationships that I have with people - whether it's my brother or a friend, gay or straight - that shouldn't really ever come into play. Someone's sexual preference is their sexual preference. Let's move on.
When I'm talking about dating a girl and they're talking about dating a guy - big fucking deal. That's the thing; that's what's so bizarre about it: It doesn't faze me. Obviously I was brought up to believe that everybody is on a level playing field and we're all crazy, cool and all that fun stuff - and I don't pay much mind to it, because who am I to judge people? I judge people based on the things that they do. I judge people based on their character. If you have a friend who decides to do certain things in their own private time - even if they're straight - whatever the fuck they're into, fine. It doesn't matter. That's the biggest problem: It just simply doesn't affect the way I view a person. It's so arbitrary.
How big of a role do you think the gay community has had in Maroon 5's career?
The music that we make is for people to enjoy, and as far as all communities are concerned, the band's mission statement is that we make music for everybody and that we love everyone who appreciates it and we appreciate everyone who appreciates it. There's every type of person at our shows. And I love that. The more diverse our crowds get over time, the happier we get as a band.
