Twenty years after Ellen DeGener announced she was gay on primetime televisn, the effect of her cisn is clearer than ever.
Contents:
- MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST
- ELLEN DEGENER LD FOR GAY RIGHTS FLUENCE
- HOW ELLEN DEGENER HELPED CHANGE THE CONVERSATN ABOUT GAYS
- ELLEN DEGENER IS THE MOST VISIBLE GAY OR LBIAN PUBLIC FIGURE AMERI
- ELLEN DEGENER INFLUENCED GAY RIGHTS VIEWS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CELEBRY (STUDY)
- ELLEN DEGENER ENDS DAYTIME TALK-SHOW: ‘WHEN WE STARTED THIS SHOW, I ULDN’T SAY “GAY”‘
MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST
In 1997, DeGener chose a very public fom — her televisn s — to announce, "I'm gay." The entertaer's reer has tracked the seismic shift public opn on gays and same-sex marriage. * ellen degeneres lgbt *
When she spoke out agast hate and advoted for tolerance after the murr of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay man who was btally killed Wyomg. Two s ago, she ma history by beg the first openly gay actrs to play an openly gay character on televisn -- sparkg a natnal nversatn by puttg LGBTQ issu ont and center.
At the time of her Makg Gay History terview 2001, there was no guarantee that Ellen’s star would rise aga—and far higher than had the 1990s—and that the honors showered on her would clu the Printial Medal of learn more about Ellen and to view an excerpt of the famo 1997 g out episo of her show, have a look at the lks DeGener at a tapg of “The Ellen Degener Show, ” 2008. Stunts om the Universy of Nebraska’s Gay, Lbian, Bisexual and Transgenr Rource Center watchg the g out episo of “Ellen” Lln, Nebraska, Wednday, April 30, 1997.
A 2013 AV/TV Club roundtable discsed the signifince of Ellen’s g-out episo and s her Makg Gay History terview, Ellen DeGener talks about her memori ncerng Matthew Shepard, who was murred 1998. Watch her monologue n fd Ellen DeGener’s 2001 oral history Eric Marc’s book Makg Gay years after the g out episo, Lra Dern (a gut star who played Ellen Man’s love tert) was quoted on the impact the episo had on her reer the 20th anniversary of the g out episo of “Ellen” April 2017, Ellen DeGener shared her thoughts about the experience wh her daytime talk show dience.
ELLEN DEGENER LD FOR GAY RIGHTS FLUENCE
Ellen DeGener did more to fluence Amerins' attus about gay rights than any other public figure, a new poll by Variety found. * ellen degeneres lgbt *
”For further readg on the topic of gay and lbian people on televisn om the 1950s through the 1990s, we remend The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lbians on TV by Stephen Tropiano.
ED: Umm, I really didn’t get volved at all any kd of polics or any any awarens of gay stggl, gay movement, anythg at all until I me out. Until you fd out about the teenagers and the stggl that most kids go through high schools and the statistics and the gay… the bashg. And they’re gog to see that gay people are not what they… You know, everybody has a certa thg they clg onto and ci that’s what everybody is.
Even though I’d fotten that for a while to say, “I’m gay and I’m gog to say and I don’t re what anybody thks, I don’t re if I lose everythg.
HOW ELLEN DEGENER HELPED CHANGE THE CONVERSATN ABOUT GAYS
It’s 20 years on om the landmark work TV moment that saw Ellen DeGener tell 42 ln viewers that she’s gay, but progrs remas slow * ellen degeneres lgbt *
A special thank-you to Ellen’s mother, Betty DeGener, an LGBTQ civil rights activist her own right, who troduced me to Ellen back Makg Gay History podst is a -productn of Peapple Street Media, wh assistance om the New York Public Library’s Mancripts and Archiv Divisn and ONE Archiv at the USC three of this podst is ma possible wh fundg om the Ford Foundatn, which is on the ont l of social change long! Media ptn, Barack Obama awards the Printial Medal of Freedom to Ellen DeGenerComedian Ellen DeGener was praised by the US print for her fluence on the gay rights movement as she received the untry's hight civilian honour. Celebri cludg Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Michael Jordan were also among the 21 recipients of the Printial Medal of Obama said was easy to fet the risk Ellen DeGener took to e out as gay said her bravery helped "ph our untry the directn of jtice".
The AIDS epimic was at s height, and while there was already a burgeong gay-rights movement, a lot of homosexuals were not ready to e out of the closet. "What's wonrful about her, as a cultural figure, is that worked so wonrfully alongsi polil activism, " says Jsi Halem, a edian and gay-rights activist.
As she stggl to adm she is gay to a woman she is attracted to, she accintally leans over an open mike and announc to the whole wag room. Not only was the edian and televisn host by far the most equently ced example of a gay or lbian public figure the general-populatn survey, she and Print Obama were the lears when LGBT Amerins were asked to name a well-known figure who’s been important advancg the rights of LGBT people.
ELLEN DEGENER IS THE MOST VISIBLE GAY OR LBIAN PUBLIC FIGURE AMERI
Image experiencg somethg as a child that's both excg and terrifyg, but you have nobody to talk to about . I wanted to say "I'm gay" like Ellen, but uldn't. I was alone. * ellen degeneres lgbt *
Jason Colls, a center for the NBA’s Washgton Wizards, was the send-most equently mentned gay or lbian public figure the general-populatn survey. Jt before the survey was nducted, Colls beme the first active male profsnal athlete a major North Amerin team sport to e out publicly as gay; he’s due to bee a ee agent next month.
It’s worth notg, though, that almost four--ten Amerins (38%) said they uldn’t name any gay or lbian entertaers or public figur, cludg 61% of people age 65 and olr. Ellen DeGener did more to fluence Amerins’ attus about gay rights than any other celebry or public figure, a new poll by Variety and brandg expert Jeetendr Sehv found.
Print Barack Obama, who endorsed same-sex marriage durg his 2012 re-electn bid after ially opposg , was the send most ced figure, followed by openly gay “Glee” star Jane Lynch and openly gay edian Rosie O’Donnell. The study was nducted as part of Variety‘s recent issue examg Hollywood’s role the gay rights fight and s impact on the Supreme Court’s cisn last week legalizg same-sex marriage all 50 stat.
ELLEN DEGENER INFLUENCED GAY RIGHTS VIEWS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CELEBRY (STUDY)
The LGBT muny cricised the edian for associatg wh the former print who has a dismal rerd on gay rights * ellen degeneres lgbt *
Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed ced gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr characters as the key fluence their beliefs, while a leadg 84% referenced knowg someone who is out of the closet. Seventy-eight percent referenced proment gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr figur as beg a major fluence, while 80% ced the role that straight supporters of gay rights have had makg them more fortable. Her character on her s, Ellen Man, beme the first gay or lbian lead character the history of televisn, and DeGener subsequently ma televisn appearanc discsg her reasons for the bold statement.
DeGener, who typilly don't listen to naysayers, kicked off her show wh a msage to One Milln Moms explag that the anizatn wanted her fired om the job bee she's gay and bee they believe tradnal valu. DeGener and Pharrell Discs Acceptance Light of Hidn Figur Sger Kim Burrell's Homophobic Remarks Gospel sger Kim Burrell, who sang the Osr-nomated song om Hidn Figur, "I See a Victory, " was slated to appear on the Ellen showwhen she livered a fiery sermon at a church llg LGBT people "perverted. A Gay Iraqi Couple Share Their Epic Love Story wh DeGenerIt was only a week after Tmp's guratn when DeGener ved a gay Iraqi uple to her show to share their story of love unr surmountable odds.
ELLEN DEGENER ENDS DAYTIME TALK-SHOW: ‘WHEN WE STARTED THIS SHOW, I ULDN’T SAY “GAY”‘
After s tryg to nvce an anti-gay mastream that she’s a relatable person — gay, but “jt like you” — Ellen end up a prison of her own makg. * ellen degeneres lgbt *
DeGener Comments on a Teen Beg Murred for Askg a Male Classmate to Be His Valente Back 2008, when a 15-year-old gay teen was murred California by the boy school that he liked, DeGener tearfully spoke about acceptance on her show. While her monologue for the Emmy Awards began gently enough, she kicked to full gear when she remarked, "What would bug the Taliban more than seeg a gay woman a su surround by Jews?
That night her character fally admted what DeGener herself had recently revealed on the ver of Time magaze – when the fictnal Ellen told San (Lra Dern), the woman she had the hots for, that she was gay – all over an airport Tannoy. ” There’s no nyg that the Puppy Episo was hugely signifint terms of LGBT visibily, but for a long time, that was double-edged: while a star as big as Ellen g out effectively placed a lbian the livg rooms of people who may not have experienced that before, there was also a sense that this had been a tt se for whether the public would accept a gay lead, and that tt had failed.
In 1998, NBC lnched Will & Grace, a goofy if somewhat toothls portra of a gay man and his straight female bt iend, but even so, a h that ran for eight years, and will be returng soon. (It also pots out the suatn is far om perfect yet, highlightg the current vogue for TV bumpg off s lbian characters, known as the “bury your gays” trope.
[[{"type":"media","view_mo":"media_origal","fid":"51941","attribut":{"height":"300","width":"300","style":"height: 300px; width: 300px;;;","class":"media-image media-element file-media-origal","id":"3"}}]]View our 2013 ally PSA seri at our 2007 ally mpaign below. Be an Ally & a Friend - 2007Sure, you watchThe Ellen DeGener Show on TV, and you "know" Kev om Brothers & Sisters and Marc on Ugly Betty, but is there someone your real life who is lbian, gay, * ellen degeneres lgbt *
Advertisg boytts appear alongsi multiple accatns of sexual harassment, rather than bee a fictnal character has announced to an airport that she’s actually a a few exceptns, though – RuPl’s Drag Race is not only the bt realy show on televisn, ’s also the most unapologetilly queer and radil – seems there’s still ltle room for a gay lead. HBO’s Lookg, about a iendship group of mostly gay men San Francis, was far better than s small dience suggted, but didn’t make past two seasons.
If what Jam Baldw said Not of a Native Son is rrect, that, "People are trapped history, and history is trapped them, " the moment Ellen DeGener uttered the words, "I'm gay, " was the moment my personal history when I knew nothg was ever gog to be the same aga.
I didn't want anybody knowg that I red this much about somebody sayg they were gay bee I knew what that then said about me. As the episo ma 's way to the pivotal moment, where Ellen's character meets San at the airport to tell her she's gay, I grew nervo.