Tag Archives: Ellen DeGeneres

Gay History – January 26: Nikola Tesla Was Hot and Asexual, The First Gay Wedding License, and RENT Opens Off B’Way

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Today in Gay History – January 26

1886 – Serbian Nikola Tesla (July 1856 – 7 January 1943) was issued nearly 300 patents in the US for his ground-breaking career focusing on electricity. He was an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current(AC) electricity supply system. Likely asexual, Tesla never married, explaining that his chastity was very helpful to his scientific abilities. Tesla chose to never pursue or engage in any known relationships, instead finding all the stimulation he needed in his work.

1958 — Comedian Ellen Degeneres (born January 26, 1958) is born. Degeneres is the first star of a television sitcom ever to come out — in 1997 — to the public, an act many see as having dramatically improved the climate for LGBT actors, though she almost instantly lost her show. Her current success in daytime talk television was unforeseeable at the time and she had no reason to think she would not have to go back to stand-up comedy clubs forever at the time she risked her television career.  In 2008, she married her longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi (born 31 January 1973),  Australian and American actress, model, and philanthropist.

1971 –Look Magazine includes a gay couple from Minnesota, Jack Baker and Mike McConnell, as part of that week’s cover article on “The American Family.” Baker and McConnell are also noteworthy as they are the first same-sex couple in the U.S. to be granted a marriage license.

Jack Baker and Mike McConnell were married by a young Methodist minister in Mankato, MN in 1971. Baker had legally changed his name to the gender-neutral Pat Lynne McConnell to get the marriage license. By the time the state of MN figured  out that the bride was actually a male it was already too late. The two were officially married.

While Minnesota did try to null and void their marriage Baker and McConnell fought back furiously and predicted they would win eventually, but the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that their marriage was illegal. However, their license was never revoked

1996 – Rent opens off Broadway in the New York Theater Workshop for a six-week run. The creator, Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996), died unexpectedly the morning of Rent‘s first preview performance Off Broadway. He suffered an aortic dissection, believed to have been caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome, in the early morning on January 25, 1996. 

Rent is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini‘s opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City‘s East Village in the thriving days of bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of poverty and HIV/AIDS.

2011, Uganda – David Kato Kisule (c. 1964 – 26 January 2011), founding member of Sexual Minorities Uganda, is murdered. He was the founder and leader of the LGBT rights movement in Uganda where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death. He was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda’s gay rights movement[ and described as “Uganda’s first openly gay man”. He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). Kato was murdered in 2011 allegedly by a male sex worker, shortly after winning a lawsuit against a magazine which had published his name and photograph identifying him as gay and calling for him to be executed.

Oh No She Didn't! - Ellen DeGeneres Forgives Kevin Hart [Video]

Oh No She Didn’t! – Ellen DeGeneres Forgives Kevin Hart [Video]

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Ellen DeGeneres’ attempted to play peacemaker between The Academy, the LGBT Community and Kevin Hart

And it is rightfully blowing up in her face. 

In an interview with DeGeneres on Thursday that was was to air on Monday, but was moved to Friday Hart says he is “evaluating” reprising his role as the 2019 Oscars host after DeGeneres called the Academy to vouch for him.

DeGeneres went as far as to call the Academy to “vouch” for Hart.

“I called them, I said, ‘Kevin’s on, I have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts?’ And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we want him to host! We feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong. Maybe we said the wrong thing but we want him to host. Whatever we can do we would be thrilled. And he should host the Oscars.'”

DeGeneres went on to defend Hart.. “As a gay person. I am sensitive to all of that. You’ve already expressed that it’s not being educated on the subject, not realizing how dangerous those words are, not realizing how many kids are killed for being gay or beaten up every day,” said DeGeneres. 

She added: “You have grown, you have apologized, you are apologizing again right now. You’ve done it. Don’t let those people win — host the Oscars.”

DeGeneres continued to stand by the interview, writing on Twitter, “In this conversation, @KevinHart4real was authentic and real, and I’m in his corner.” She also wrote that she believes in second chances.

Ms DeGeneres needs to understand that when she speaks as a “gay” person that she is not speaking or representing the whole of the LGBT community only herself and she should say as much.

As for believing in second chances perhaps Ellen will end her feud with Kathy Griffin who we all stand behind and who’s career has been hurt and tarnished far more than Hart’s by a much bigger and more malicious enemy.

Bermuda Supreme Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban

Ellen DeGeneres and Howard Dean Urge Americans to Boycott Bermuda for Re-Banning Gay Marriage

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Both Ellen DeGeneres and Howard Dean have joined this website and others in urging everyone, LGBT’s and straight allies alike, to  Boycott Bermuda.   On Thursday Ellen Tweeted “Bermuda just banned marriage equality. I guess I’m canceling my trip. Anybody else?”

Last month we reported that Bermuda’s governor has signed into law a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite a supreme court ruling last year authorizing same-sex marriage.

Said Brown: ‘The act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognizing and protecting the rights of same-sex couples.’ 

Channel News Asia is reporting that lawyer Mark Pettingill is representing Roderick Ferguson, a Bermudian who lives in the United States. Ferguson aims to render the Domestic Partnership Act void for contradicting Bermuda’s constitution, which guarantees freedom from discrimination.

Even former US presidential candidate Howard Dean is urging Americans to “find another vacation spot” after Parliament voted for the Domestic Partnerships Act, 

Mr Dean, who is also a former six-term Governor of Vermont and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, tweeted “Progressive Labor Party in Bermuda just eliminated gay marriage. Americans who really are progressive should find another vacation spot.”

Tourism accounts for a significant portion of Bermuda’s economy: The 693,000 tourists the island hosted in 2017 spent a combined $431 million, local news outlet the Royal Gazette reported. Cruise spending in particular rose by 7.6 percent last year.

 

"Christian" Broadcaster Rick Wiles: The Antichrist “Will Be a Homosexual Jew” [Video]

“Christian” Radio Host Rick Wiles: A “Gay Nazi Regime” Carried Out the Las Vegas Massacre

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“Christian” radio host Rick Wiles said on his “TruNews” broadcast recently reported that the Las Vegas shooting was the result of a “gay/lesbian Nazi regime.”

“We’re in a fascist Nazi police state, there will be a day that they tell law enforcement [officers] to execute your children right in front of you and they will do it.

America has become a Nazi state. The deep state is a Nazi state, That is why Campos ( The gay Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos,) appeared on a daytime talk show hosted by a fast-talking, dancing comedienne, and, let me add, a lesbian, (Ellen DeGeneres) because this Nazi regime is a gay/lesbian Nazi regime, just like Nazis in Hitler’s day. Hitler was a bisexual, the top Nazi leaders of the Nazi party were homosexuals. The Nazi takeover of Germany was a militant homosexual fascist takeover; that is what is taking place in America today.” via Right Wing Watch

Wiles went on to say that Campos spoke with Ellen was because the company overseeing Mandalay Bay was afraid he’d “spill the beans about the shooting timeline if he were grilled by real journalists.” That would give away the secret.”

Well its certainly no secret that Wiles is batshit crazy.  In the past has stated that  Target’s decision to remove gender labeling from their toy section and to allow trans persons to use the restroom that conforms to their gender will directly lead to nuclear war with Russia. He has also suggested that Vladimir Putin will nuke America and cause a ‘nuclear holocaust’ due to gay rights in America and has warned, in the aftermath of Obergefell v. Hodges, that the U.S. will invade third world countries and force them to accept homosexuality.

 

 

 

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Oh No She Didn't! - Ellen DeGeneres Forgives Kevin Hart [Video]

Ellen DeGeneres Does Her Own Unique Brief For The Supreme Court

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Daytime tv host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres has always had a penchant for combining the serious with a dash of funny. And with the legal briefs submitted by hundreds of companies, businesses  and politicians that have been in the news this week, Ellen didn’t want to feel left out. So she posted her own brief to address why Prop 8 and DOMA should be struck down so that gay couples have the right to marry via her talkshow website:

California’s Proposition 8 is headed to the Supreme Court. Hundreds of companies and families as well as Republicans are submitting briefs urging the 9 judges to allow gay people to marry. I thought that was ridiculous. Why would judges want all of that underwear? Then, after a quick talk with some people, I found out what a brief was.

I’ve never filed a brief to the Supreme Court, so I thought I would post mine here. I’m sure someone will tweet it to them.

Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don’t think we hurt anyone else’s marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they’re fine.  

But even though Portia and I got married in the short period of time when it was legal in California, there are 1,138 federal rights for married couples that we don’t have, including some that protect married people from losing their homes, or their savings or custody of their children.

The truth is, Portia and I aren’t as different from you as you might think. We’re just trying to find happiness in the bodies and minds we were given, like everyone else.

Coming out was one of the hardest things I ever did. I didn’t intend to be on the cover of Time magazine saying, “Yep, I’m gay.” The truth is, I don’t even remember saying that. I mean, I definitely said the “I’m gay” part. It’s the “yep” I don’t remember. I’m not really a “yep” person. “Yes siree Bob” maybe. But not “yep.”

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” And there’s another famous quote that says “A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.” I couldn’t agree with that more. No one’s really sure who said it first, so if anyone asks, tell them I said it.

I hope the Supreme Court will do the right thing, and let everyone enjoy the same rights. It’s going to help keep families together. It’s going to make kids feel better about who they are. And it is time.

*I was just told Benjamin Franklin did not say that first quote. I apologize and see that I have a lot to learn about stuff.

I wish the waiting was as enjoyable as this letter. Still, appreciate the comic relief as always Ellen!

Ellen DeGeneres’ Discusses The Boy Scouts

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On a recent taping of her hit daytime tv show, Ellen DeGeneres talked about the Boy Scouts of America and the controversy that continues to surrounds them. Over the past few weeks the Boy Scouts have contemplated allowing gay members but felt they needed to delay a decision until May. As it was likely a push to get the now infamous group to finally accept gay members what turned out as light banter ended on a rather serious note:

“If the Boy Scouts start treating gays equally, they’re going to become the first group to do it — after the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard, all of the United Kingdom and Cher. They won’t let their members be gay, or openly gay, anyway, but they’re letting them wear neckerchiefs and green short shorts!”

“The more that we teach people how to accept people for who they are, the more self-confident they’ll be and the better leaders they’ll become,” 

And she’s right. We have to talk about how this archaic thinking is a complete contradiction that is this organizations motto. Otherwise it shows that treating people that are different is okay. History has shown what lack of judgment this so called “code of ethics” brings to society. It’s oppressive, not freedom.

Happy Birthday Ellen DeGeneres! Here’s Why We Love Her

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Birthdays are always a time to reflect what a person has accomplished and activist, daytime tv host,  and comedian Ellen DeGeneres is a perfect example of this. HuffPostGay did a nice tribute to the now 55 year old (can you believe it?!0 celebrating her birthday today. Here are some of the reasons why Ellen is a national treasure:

12. She believes that humor should always be kind, and holds herself to a high standard of compassion. She told Good Housekeeping: 

“The most important thing for me is to know that I represent kindness. I’m glad I’m funny. I’m glad I make people happy, because that’s very important. But I’m proud to be known as a kind person. You listen to any monologue on late-night TV or just in general, to people talking, and there’s always a joke at someone’s expense. It’s sarcasm; it’s nasty.
Kids grow up hearing that, and they think that’s what humor is, and they think it’s OK. But that negativity permeates the entire planet.”

15. She tries not to judge others. In an interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, Ellen said: “I am saddened by how people treat one another and how we are so shut off from one another and how we judge one another, when the truth is, we are all one connected thing. We are all from the same exact molecules.”

16. She came out on “Ellen.” Coming out can be a very difficult personal step — emphasis on the personal. We love that Ellen’s announcement was filled with humor and aired publicly on her sitcom. Despite the possibility of a backlash — which followed almost immediately — she chose not to hide.

34. Her wedding to Portia was pretty much the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen. The pair married in 2008 at their home in L.A., after dating for four years. Ellen told People: What can I say? I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”

I highly recommend checking out the rest of that list. Always lightheaded, always kind, and always funny, we wish Ellen many more years of making our would a better place.

Ellen DeGeneres Says Coming Out Was The Greatest Thing That Ever Happened To Her

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Top notch comedian Ellen DeGeneres recently sat down to give a candid interview discussing how coming out is such a huge achievement:

“I was really successful, but I was really just playing a part. And then I’d go home and I’d let a little bit of me out, you know, and have a girlfriend. But the other part of the life was just trying to please everybody else. ‘Cause God forbid they find out who I really am.”

“I just was carrying around this sadness inside and the shame of the fact that I was gay. When I was like, ‘Why am I ashamed of who I am?’”

“My manager at the time said, ‘Well if you’re going to come out, why don’t we make it really interesting. Why doesn’t your character come out.’ And it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

If you remember,  I wrote about how Sir Ian McKellen expressed the same feelings of how much of his life got better once he came out and made his life better:

“I learned that coming out was crucial to self-esteem. And I accepted the argument that people who thrived in society’s mainstream and had access to the media could, by telling the truth, help others in the backwaters whose views were never sought and whom society either ignored or abused– These days I daily make this point to anyone who will listen because, when I eventually accepted it on the BBC, it changed my life forever for the better.

I love these stories most and that is why whenever I see them, I signal boost, or make sure it’s mentioned because people look up to these public figures. We all do. We draw from their strength, talent, and determination.

Sharing stories like these shows those still in the closet as well as those that demonize us for being gay, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with us. That if and when we’re ready to fully accept ourselves, how much more there is to gain from life.

Ellen DeGeneres Donates 20K Scholarship To A Rejected Gay Boy Scout

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Ellen DeGeneres continues to prove what an outstanding LGBT activist she continues to be by reaching out and supporting a member discriminated against because of their sexuality. This past Thursday, Ryan Andresen, a member of the Boy Scouts Of America received a 20000 scholarship from the daytime talkshow host and comedian after he was denied an Eagle Scout Badge after he announced that he is gay.

Andresen had completed all of the necessary requirements for the badge but the organization said that his sexuality prevented him receiving the badge. Andresen’s mother, Karen, has begun a petition asking the scouts to change their anti-gay policies and has already received nearly half a million signatures. Andresen goes on to discuss how discrimination is wrong:

“I hope people understand that discrimination is not OK. The Boy Scouts is an organization that is very unique, it has a lot of opportunities that nothing else will ever grant you in your whole entire life. I am so blessed that I got to go through it and I don’t think it is fair that not everyone gets the opportunity to go through it”

Hopefully one fay the Scouts will realize that their anti-gay policies are more detrimental than they realize. Also, stay classy Ellen.