Well that didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after Lady Gaga released the single “Born This Way,” the queer media launched its pre-coordinated attack on the song, claiming that a “backlash finally begins” against the singer. I’ll immediately concede that the song did not meet my expectations, but Zack Rosen’s attack on Lady Gaga was way harsh and misguided.

Writing in a piece that appeared late yesterday on The Advocate’s Web site, Rosen dismissed “Born This Way” as a disappointing “lump of sequined coal,” then lit into Gaga herself.

“I do not, however,  understand how (Lady Gaga) transitioned into the shortcut for all things gay. She doesn’t represent my life, no matter how many times she might be played at a gay bar or how many men take pride in knowing the entire “Bad Romance” dance by heart. Contemporary gay culture has become so entwined with this one woman that I can barely breathe,” Rosen charged.

To his credit, Rosen did acknowledge that Lady Gaga has gone to bat for gay rights, and also remembered to mention that she is bisexual herself — making her a member of our community. These two points are why I found Rosen’s words so hurtful. It’s one thing to be catty towards “gay icons” who’ve never lifted a finger in our defense, but it’s quite another to be so cruel to a woman who has spent so much of her fame to advance the interests of gay people.

Rosen, who is also editor of the gay blog The New Gay, did not hold back in blasting Gaga and those who idolize her.

“Her songs are too disposable to be highbrow, and her public persona too self-important to be lowbrow or camp. Instead, that shadowy kabal in the backroom of the Stonewall Inn decided she would be our new god and, remarkably, no one asked why,” Rosen wrote.

No one person has exclusive rights to the label “gay icon” and the title is indeed not decided in the backroom of the Stonewall Inn, though that method would be my preference, quite frankly.

Icons become icons because they inspire gay people. There is no litmus test and no bar to cross. In Lady Gaga’s case, it’s plain to see why she is a gay icon; after all, we’ve seen this movie before…think Liza, Cher, Whitney, Madonna…the list goes on and on. Nearly every strong female pop star, with any kind of liberal leaning, has been labeled a “gay icon” at one point or another. It’s what we do!

Rosen’s misguided op-ed could have been written exactly the same for Cher in the 70s, Madonna in the 8os or Whitney in the 90s. Gay men found varying reasons to put all those women on pedestals, and “icons” they all are, because at the end of the day it’s a loosely defined term that means different things to different people. Lady Gaga has earned a pass on Rosen’s catty criticism because she has so fiercely advocated for gay rights, especially the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Lady Gaga is partly to blame for the extraordinarily high expectations for “Born This Way.” After claiming it would be the best pop album ever, there was no where to go but down for Gaga. Follow-up albums are notoriously bad, as artists find it difficult to capture magic two times in a row. We’ve only heard one song from the album, so it is still quite possible that the overall album will be well-received; but poor reviews for one hyped song is no reason to commission a “backlash” against one of our most vocal advocates. And Rosen is savvy enough to know the difference between genuine backlash and cleverly-worded, knee-jerk critiques.

Zack Rosen represents a rising new voice in our movement; he has spent the last three years spearheading a wonderful online presence, but his swift condemnation of Lady Gaga was just poor form. Gaga is the biggest star in the pop universe and she has committed herself to fighting our cause; that is reason enough to withhold our scoldings until at least the day after she releases a new song. The rush to throw Lady Gaga under the bus and proclaim a mass “backlash” is ridiculous and self-serving.