Michael Buble talks about bullying, his gay uncle and the lessons his parents taught him about gay people

With Adam Lambert and Ricky Martin nowhere to be seen, last Sunday’s American Music Awards were not very gay at all.

But there was one moment that made my LGBT ears perk up: It was when Michael Buble took the stage to accept his award and talked about everyone being equal and being sure to mention the gays.

I thought that was really cool and it made me like the crooner even more than I already did. Then I came across this interview Buble did with the site Matthew’s Place, a site named for Matthew Shepard that’s designed to help young people gain the skills and tools to lead healthy, productive, hate free lives.

Here are some excerpts from Buble’s conversation with Thomas Howard Jr.:

“My uncle Mike has been with my uncle Frank, they’ve been a couple for, 35 years.  So when I grew up my mom and dad, in no uncertain terms, said, ‘You know Michael, a man can be in love with a man and a woman can be in love with a woman, and there’s no difference between people that are gay or straight.  They’re born that way.  It’s not something that can be learned or unlearned, or it’s not a phase or anything like that.  This is something that you are born with.’  And so I grew up, never seeing a difference between gay and straight people.  Also, I grew up in Vancouver, that has one of the biggest gay communities, so of course, growing up in music and theatre all my friends, or most of my friends were gay or bi.  This was something that was just normal for me.  The thing is, what really got to me Thomas, was that, I lived in this bubble, where because I came from this city that was completely tolerant and understanding,  I thought that’s just how it was.  And I moved to L.A. and it was the same way.  People were very open about it and proud.  But I started to realize that it wasn’t like that man.  In a lot of places, a lot of small cities and towns, people did not have that same understanding.  And I felt like it wasn’t just the job or the responsibility of gay or lesbian people to stand up for each other.  It’s a responsibility of straight people.  It’s a responsibility of all of us, we’re human beings, we’re all the same.  There’s just no room for this man.  I think it’s gotta start in the home.  It’s gotta start with parents talking to their kids and explaining to them that it’s ok, and that they can stand up for their friends, and that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.  That that’s life, you know.  The truth is, Thomas, kids don’t grow up with hate.  They don’t know hate.  They’re taught hate and we just need to educate them.”