Yep, I'm Gay (April 14, 1997) | A History of Gay Rights Through TIME Covers |

Contents:

• READ THE 'YEP, I'M GAY' ELLEN DEGENER INTERVIEW FROM 1997
• A HISTORY OF GAY RIGHTS THROUGH TIME COVERS
• YEP, I’M GAY, AND I’M A CEO—IT DON’T STOP ME FROM RUNNG A GREAT BS
• ‘YEP, I’M GAY’: UNRSTANDG AGENTIAL INTY
• TIME COVERS THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• ‘YEP, I’M GAY': HAPPY 20TH OUT ANNIVERSARY, ELLEN DEGENER
• MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST

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

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.

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? ” I never wanted to be the spokperson for the gay muny. TIME: Is beg gay somethg you stggled wh?

A HISTORY OF GAY RIGHTS THROUGH TIME COVERS

My first gay experience was lerally someone else’s ia–I was eaked out even by the thought of .

YEP, I’M GAY, AND I’M A CEO—IT DON’T STOP ME FROM RUNNG A GREAT BS

While beg gay was accepted mastream culture, for those the public eye, g out was still seen as risky. TIME’s ver story shed light on her cisn, revealg how her character wouldn’t be immediately fortable yet wh her sexualy, ntrast to other loud-and-proud gay characters of the era. The first qutn om TIME’s Michael Krantz: “So, for the rerd, are you yourself gay?

One n endlsly bate the qutn of whether televisn fluenc society or reflects : Do Ellen Man’s g out what is still our masst medium legimize homosexualy, or do the sponsorship of a bottom-le bs like ABC merely reflect s acceptance by a signifint portn of the populatn? Next The New Gay Stggle (Oct.

‘YEP, I’M GAY’: UNRSTANDG AGENTIAL INTY

There’s been a lot of attentn the media recently about the lack of publicly gay bs lears. G., “Where Are the Gay Chief Executiv?

” and “Among Gay C.

TIME COVERS THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

S, the Prsure to Conform” — is that pani and their boards rema one of the last bastns of opposn to gay equaly, and that gay CEOs fear reprisal om shareholrs, therefore remag extremely discreet or closeted. For as long as I have been bs and nng pani, I’ve been an out gay man. I often meet other gay people bs…as well as women and people of lor who also rema unrreprented senr rol…who are extraordarily gifted, yet have not had the same opportuni.

Unfortunately, the public dialog around gay civil rights is still fairly cendiary; mere visibily at a gay event n elic a strong reactn.

The issu we face n be effectively elimated through the greater visibily of high-performg publicly gay executiv, the open support of boards and shareholrs, and a balanced dialog on the subject om the media. Prr to that, Robert was Chief Executive Officer of Amerin Eagle Outfters, and has been regnized both for his learship acplishments and unique posn as an out, gay man leadg a public pany.

‘YEP, I’M GAY': HAPPY 20TH OUT ANNIVERSARY, ELLEN DEGENER

Yep, I'm GayExclive: Ellen DeGener explas why she's g out.

I didn't like that, so I ed the word gay more often. In April 1997, Ellen DeGener officially ‘me out’ Time magaze, the ver boldly statg, wh characteristic nonchalance, “Yep, I’m Gay”.

MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST

In one sense, DeGener’s g out was not rmative: was wily known that DeGener was gay.

Consir, for example, a young man cidg whether to e out to his parents as gay. [7] But, havg realized that he is gay, he to self-intify as gay.