It's been 20 years since Ellen's coming out episode. Today, being gay isn't really a big deal, although more efforts need to be made for acceptance. But April 30, 1997 "The Puppy Episode (part 1 and 2)" of Ellen, and her character - and the actress - came out.

Ellen talked today on her show about how she got death threats, people hurled insults at her on late night TV and on the street. Harpo Productions had to put another person on the switchboard because of the influx of negative calls about her appearance on the show as Ellen's therapist. Everything from "go back to Africa" and the N-word. Laura Dern got warnings from her gay friends "are you sure you want to do this?". A lot of violence directed at people for no real reason, other than they were threatening the norm.

Whether you dig her or not, Ellen's one of many people who has guided the LGBT community to where it's at now. Oprah is another, I believe. But there are many who have made a path. George Michael (his incident and forced coming out was almost a year to the day after the Ellen episodes aired), and countless other people who have come out have normalized normal people.

She mentioned kd lang, George Michael, Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge and more were there just to watch the taping (some were in the episode of course).

I know now that people say "Oh who cares if you're gay. Stop waving it around. We don't care." Well, that's great, and you shouldn't care. I always say me being a gay man should be the least interesting thing about me. But until the people who do care differently change, I'm not shutting up. I still don't own anything with a rainbow on it, but I wear my life & my (heart) on my sleeve. I'm thankful that whether it's Ellen, or George Michael, or Ellen Page, or Jesse Tyler Ferguson, or Harvey Milk, Wendy & Lisa, kd lang, or Boy George, or RuPaul or the guy next door have all chosen to live authentic out, loud, and proud lives. It's for everyone who has fought the good fight in this is why we have Modern Family, Queer As Folk, The L Word, Will & Grace, RuPaul's Drag Race (which has now won a fucking EMMY!), and gay characters on daytime soap operas.

We are here. We are queer. We ain't leavin'. (Psst: We've been here all along.)

The LGBTQ community has fought for what need not be earned: respect and dignity within society as a whole. And the results don't lie. Ellen was a landmark part of that.

I agree, it was beautiful. Gays have earned their civil rights and now should be able to stand in the sun with them, but in many places can not. Obama passed the Equal marriage act, but Rednecked and Christian state officials mostly in the backwards states (Appalachia, Cowboy and the South) have used every loop hole in the book to avoid doing them. And how long until Trump reverses it.

.

There is an excellent show on Viceland called Gaycation, which looks at LGBQT+ communities worldwide and there are usually truly homophobic places like Jamaica, India and Russia, but an episode on the states of Texas, LA, MS, AL and GA showed shit there was real bad down to Transexual inmates being gang raped by thugs in Atlanta Prisons and Chruches were you prayed the gay away, along with a black gay man set on fire by his so called Love Church.

.

The date is significant too, April 30 1997 was my 21st birthday and it was in July 1997 I finally came out.

Somehow I missed this topic. Saw the Ellen Show with Oprah and Laura Dern (who didn't work for a year after that). Those shots of all the artists who came to the taping were great. Had also just seen the episodes in the coming out season again on reruns and they were all great.

She has done a lot to bring everyone along and as Obama said - win hearts and minds.

I saw that ep... I am not sure she isn't overstating the impact. there were gay characters in other shows before hers... but it was a funny ep (from a 20-year memory) "I was in the closet" and and the whole
"I'm gay" over the loud speaker.

Say it.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

I saw that ep... I am not sure she isn't overstating the impact. other

there were gay characters in shows before hers... but it was a funny ep (from a 20-year memory) "I was in the closet" and and the whole

"I'm gay" over the loud speaker.

There were gay characters, but no gay leads

OnlyNDaUsa said:

I saw that ep... I am not sure she isn't overstating the impact. there were gay characters in other shows before hers... but it was a funny ep (from a 20-year memory) "I was in the closet" and and the whole
"I'm gay" over the loud speaker.

Name the other gay characters.

purplepoppy said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

I saw that ep... I am not sure she isn't overstating the impact. there were gay characters in other shows before hers... but it was a funny ep (from a 20-year memory) "I was in the closet" and and the whole
"I'm gay" over the loud speaker.

Name the other gay characters.

the guy from soap, friends, barney miller...

OnlyNDaUsa said:

purplepoppy said:

Name the other gay characters.

the guy from soap, friends, barney miller...

Like I said, supporting characters, not leads. Remember, when Ellen started her show, her character was going on dates with men

jjhunsecker said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

the guy from soap, friends, barney miller...

Like I said, supporting characters, not leads. Remember, when Ellen started her show, her character was going on dates with men

LOL where did i say lead?

OnlyNDaUsa said:

jjhunsecker said:

Like I said, supporting characters, not leads. Remember, when Ellen started her show, her character was going on dates with men

LOL where did i say lead?

You said there were other gay characters on TV before, and I'm pointing out she was the first gay LEAD...nobody is saying that you said anything. I was clarifying the difference

namepeace said:

The LGBTQ community has fought for what need not be earned: respect and dignity within society as a whole.

Well fucking said.

Soap for that mouth.

jjhunsecker said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

LOL where did i say lead?

You said there were other gay characters on TV before, and I'm pointing out she was the first gay LEAD...nobody is saying that you said anything. I was clarifying the difference

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

jjhunsecker said:

You said there were other gay characters on TV before, and I'm pointing out she was the first gay LEAD...nobody is saying that you said anything. I was clarifying the difference

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

Ugh.

Dasein said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

Ugh.

it is 100% true. i do not know how much more i could be!

OnlyNDaUsa said:

jjhunsecker said:

You said there were other gay characters on TV before, and I'm pointing out she was the first gay LEAD...nobody is saying that you said anything. I was clarifying the difference

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

YOU said Ellen may have been "overstating the impact" of her character coming out, and mentioned that there were gay characters on TV before her. My point was that she was the first gay LEAD character of a show, which had never been done before . Nobody is questioning your "tolerance"...

jjhunsecker said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

YOU said Ellen may have been "overstating the impact" of her character coming out, and mentioned that there were gay characters on TV before her. My point was that she was the first gay LEAD character of a show, which had never been done before . Nobody is questioning your "tolerance"...

ok

jjhunsecker said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

why single me out with that? and i am as tolerant and open and accepting of gay people as one can be.

YOU said Ellen may have been "overstating the impact" of her character coming out, and mentioned that there were gay characters on TV before her. My point was that she was the first gay LEAD character of a show, which had never been done before . Nobody is questioning your "tolerance"...

He just HAD to take something away from her. "Overstating" the importance - take her down a notch... She explained on the anniversary show WHY it was called the Puppy Episode. When she first approached the producers, they said no way Ellen is coming out on camera, she can get a puppy instead. She did lose her show after that.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Dasein said:

Ugh.

it is 100% true. i do not know how much more i could be!

Your statement just came across as you thinking that you're doing the LGBTQ community a favor by
being "tolerant" or that your tolerance for LGBTQ members is the work of some type of intentional
effort on your part to be as such.

I think I'm just arguing that there is nothing about LGBTQ members that ought to be tolerated at all
as there is nothing intolerable about what is quite natural.

Dasein said:

namepeace said:

The LGBTQ community has fought for what need not be earned: respect and dignity within society as a whole.

Well fucking said.

Just summarizing what Pope Francis has been saying for years.

Dasein said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

it is 100% true. i do not know how much more i could be!

Your statement just came across as you thinking that you're doing the LGBTQ community a favor by
being "tolerant" or that your tolerance for LGBTQ members is the work of some type of intentional
effort on your part to be as such.

I think I'm just arguing that there is nothing about LGBTQ members that ought to be tolerated at all
as there is nothing intolerable about what is quite natural.

no nothing like that...just making the point. There is no effort it is just who I am.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Dasein said:

Your statement just came across as you thinking that you're doing the LGBTQ community a favor by
being "tolerant" or that your tolerance for LGBTQ members is the work of some type of intentional
effort on your part to be as such.

I think I'm just arguing that there is nothing about LGBTQ members that ought to be tolerated at all
as there is nothing intolerable about what is quite natural.

no nothing like that...just making the point. There is no effort it is just who I am.

Word.

namepeace said:

Dasein said:

Well fucking said.

Just summarizing what Pope Francis has been saying for years.

I was a seminarian at a Jesuit institution and my heart broke for members of my cohort
who were informed that their romantic feelings towards a member of the same sex was not
sinful, but any physical expression of that love would be considered as such.

I remember one of my Old Testament professors actually took a leave of absence as he fell
in love with a man but felt torn because he struggled to reconcile his romantic love for him
with the notion that such a practice would be viewed as a sin by the Curia.

I guess I'm saying that although Pope Francis is definitely ahead of the curve, he ain't too far
ahead of other intellectual troglodytes who think God condemns and forbids a physical mani-
festation of love merely because it is homosexual in nature.

Dasein said:

namepeace said:

Just summarizing what Pope Francis has been saying for years.

I was a seminarian at a Jesuit institution and my heart broke for members of my cohort who were informed that their romantic feelings towards a member of the same sex was not sinful, but any physical expression of that love would be considered as such.

I remember one of my Old Testament professors actually took a leave of absence as he fell in love with a man but felt torn because he struggled to reconcile his romantic love for him with the notion that such a practice would be viewed as a sin by the Curia.

I guess I'm saying that although Pope Francis is definitely ahead of the curve, he ain't too far ahead of other intellectual troglodytes who think God condemns and forbids a physical manifestation of love merely because it is homosexual in nature.

Did your cohorts remain? And why?

Francis sticks to -- and as you know, to a large degree, is bound -- by orthodoxy, but I believe he realizes, inherently, that we cannot fully know God's "mind" on these things. But what he does know, because he has said as such, that Christians as a whole must atone for its hate and isolation of LGBTQ brothers and sisters. And if we start with that, since we've never fully done that, who knows where the Spirit guides the Church next?

namepeace said:

Dasein said:

I was a seminarian at a Jesuit institution and my heart broke for members of my cohort who were informed that their romantic feelings towards a member of the same sex was not sinful, but any physical expression of that love would be considered as such.

I remember one of my Old Testament professors actually took a leave of absence as he fell in love with a man but felt torn because he struggled to reconcile his romantic love for him with the notion that such a practice would be viewed as a sin by the Curia.

I guess I'm saying that although Pope Francis is definitely ahead of the curve, he ain't too far ahead of other intellectual troglodytes who think God condemns and forbids a physical manifestation of love merely because it is homosexual in nature.

Did your cohorts remain? And why?

Francis sticks to -- and as you know, to a large degree, is bound -- by orthodoxy, but I believe he realizes, inherently, that we cannot fully know God's "mind" on these things. But what he does know, because he has said as such, that Christians as a whole must atone for its hate and isolation of LGBTQ brothers and sisters. And if we start with that, since we've never fully done that, who knows where the Spirit guides the Church next?

I've another professor, an Augustinian, who was "let go" by my institution because he has been
putting up a big stink over Rome disallowing women to serve as priests. So, I hope the spirit of
God guides the Catholic Church there as well.

I did not keep in touch my most members of my cohort.

Dasein said:

namepeace said:

I've another professor, an Augustinian, who was "let go" by my institution because he has been putting up a big stink over Rome disallowing women to serve as priests. So, I hope the spirit of God guides the Catholic Church there as well.

I hope so too.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

purplepoppy said:

Name the other gay characters.

the guy from soap, friends, barney miller...

I think a lot of those people were (so so) it wasn't direct that they were or were not.