How Ellen DeGener Helped Change The Conversatn About Gays : NPR

THE HIDN GAY LIV OF 'THE WALTONS' GRANDPARENTS ELLEN CORBY & WILL GEER SPE THEIR MARRIAG
THE REAL REASON ELLEN DEGENER DECID TO COME OUT AS GAY ON TV
READ THE 'YEP, I'M GAY' ELLEN DEGENER INTERVIEW FROM 1997
ELLEN DEGENER ON COMG OUT AS GAY: “I DIDN’T THK I WAS GOG TO COME OUT, PERD”
HOW ELLEN DEGENER HELPED CHANGE THE CONVERSATN ABOUT GAYS

THE HIDN GAY LIV OF 'THE WALTONS' GRANDPARENTS ELLEN CORBY & WILL GEER SPE THEIR MARRIAG

* ellen being gay *

However, they were gay real life and were volved homosexual relatnships. | Source: Getty ImagWILL GEER'S GAY LIFE, ACTIVISM, AND MARRIAGE Meanwhile, she lived a siar life to her long-time -star Geer, "Will Geer, who got blacklisted durg the anti-munist wch hunts, had a male lover.

" His partner was Harry Hay, a gay rights activist, but their relatnship later end. Geer opted to marry 1938 after beg both a Party activist and actively gay for at least four years. It remas unclear whether his marriage to Ware signaled an end to his same-sex sexual activy or if the mician married bee he believed the Communist Party strictly prohibed homosexuals om jog.

Hay was the founr of gay liberatn and created the first morn gay-rights anizatn 1950.

THE REAL REASON ELLEN DEGENER DECID TO COME OUT AS GAY ON TV

The April 14, 1997, issue of TIME featured a s-down wh the edian, who nfirmed that her s character was gay—and so was she. * ellen being gay *

At first, no one wanted to jo him formg a polil anizatn for homosexuals.

He spent two years searchg among the gay men he knew Los Angel. Ellen revealed that the shownners were "livid" when they found out about her plan to e out as gay.

READ THE 'YEP, I'M GAY' ELLEN DEGENER INTERVIEW FROM 1997

" DeGener thought that there had been gay characters on TV before but there hadn't been a character who disvered their te sexual orientatn late life. It was on the April 14, 1997, ver of TIME magaze that Ellen DeGener, then the star of the s Ellen, nfirmed somethg she’d been buildg up to for s: “Yep, ” as the ver put , “I’m gay.

ELLEN DEGENER ON COMG OUT AS GAY: “I DIDN’T THK I WAS GOG TO COME OUT, PERD”

She would be playg the first gay lead character on Amerin work televisn. Penney, ironilly, as that pany would later hire DeGener for an ad mpaign that would turn draw s own ntroversy — and the natn bated whether the show would “legimize” a facet of life that was still margalized, or if merely proved that homosexualy was already accepted by enough of the populatn that such a plot twist was possible. TIME: So, for the rerd, are you yourself gay?