Melissa Etheridge on Why a 'Bald, Pierced, Tattoo, Kilt-Wearing Dyke' Made it to 'The Voice' Finals

Another TV season, another reality competition singing show. With the American version of X Factor about to drop Melissa Etheridge has weighed in on the just why someone like The Voice’s openly lesbian, bald, tattooed Beverly McClellan – an Etheridge acolyte of sorts – made it to the finals while American Idol has yet to feature an openly LGBT contestant on the show.

Using The Voice judge Adam Levine’s comments in Out magazine about AI’s lack of gay contestants as a jumping off place, The Hollywood Reporter queried Etheridge on what she thought about the phenomenon of the freshman singing competition The Voice featuring four lesbian or gay finalists as opposed to AI’s zero LGBT contestants in 10 seasons.

Etheridge, who incidentally is receiving a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Sept. 27, responded saying she understood how The Voice’s blind audition process would benefit LGBT performers.

“That's what The Voice is about. You hear the voice first before you make the judgment,” she says. “I love that with the Beverly [McClellan] girl… a bald, pierced, tattoo, kilt-wearing dyke. And she's got this great voice, and you hear the voice first and then your eyes make the judgment,” Etheridge said.

“You start to see, it's very clear how much we judge,” she added.  “I talked to Beverly actually on my radio show and she said that's one of the reasons she did the show, because she knew they had to judge her before they saw her.”

McClellan -- one of the singing competition’s four finalists along with another out lesbian contestant, Vicci Martinez – killed on a rendition of Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One,” cementing her appeal with the audience and judges alike.

Here's McClellan blowing the doors off the auditorium with a rendition of Etheridge's song.

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