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.
Contents:
- HOW ELLEN DEGENER HELPED CHANGE THE CONVERSATN ABOUT GAYS
- ELLEN DEGENER INFLUENCED GAY RIGHTS VIEWS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CELEBRY (STUDY)
HOW ELLEN DEGENER HELPED CHANGE THE CONVERSATN ABOUT GAYS
* ellen degeneres on gay marriage *
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.
" Halem says is no accint that was a edian who took the nversatn about homosexualy to a new level. 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. "That scene is jt so betiful, bee there's nothg like tellg someone you're gay and then go silent, " Halem says.
ELLEN DEGENER INFLUENCED GAY RIGHTS VIEWS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CELEBRY (STUDY)
"But for her to say, 'I'm gay' and 's a lgh le, and you know lets lgh, lets release some of the anxiety. When she featured two bt iends on her show -- one gay, the other straight -- who attend prom together.
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.