Ellen Degeneres - Lesbian Television Star

Name: Professor’s name: Course: Date: Ellen DeGeneres How has coming out and being a lesbian television star influenced her life? In the past, being gay or lesbian was not condoned by a country let alone the public. The society was always quick to judge why such people were interested in persons of the same sex. These individuals found it hard to express themselves and profess their love as the society perceived it as an atrocity. Many people were not born that way. They came to have these feelings while growing up. As a child, some would have the courage to share it with their parents, relatives and teachers whereas others would opt to keep it to themselves. This is because of the mere perception the public had on this issue. Some parents lent an ear to their children telling them that such feelings were normal when one is heading to puberty. Some were even willing to accept their children regardless of their sexual orientation. Other parents could not withstand having such a conversation with them. As a result, the former children grew up knowing that it was not a bad thing being gay or lesbian whereas the latter grew up knowing it was unacceptable. As adults, some people were fully aware of their sexual orientation thus they chose to deal with it in their way. However, it was hard for gay and lesbian individuals to associate themselves with members of the public since they were being discriminated. They also experienced hostility thus making it hard for them to come out. Most countries had the issue illegal hence marriage between partners of the same sex was not allowed. As time passed, some countries came up with new laws in which marriage between partners of the same sex was allowed. However, while this worked out for some individuals, others still found it hard to come out and express themselves (Lynn, 2013). The meagre perception the public had of them made it hard for some while others were unable to accept it fully. Nonetheless, individuals such as Ellen DeGeneres were not afraid about their sexual orientation. In 1994, DeGeneres was calm when her sitcom “Ellen” went on air. Her persona did not deter her fans from watching it. However, her enthusiasts did not know she was one woman who happened to be unlucky in love. In 1996, after the Defense of Marriage Act became law, DeGeneres was so calm to the extent she made a movie, “ Mr Wrong” where she took the role of a lonely young woman feeling pressurized to get married. In the end, she dated a guy who turned out to be crazy (Lynn, 2013). A year later, DeGeneres chose to surface on her sitcom. Despite being condemned by the religious rights, she ended up on the cover of Time magazine. She was willing to risk the reaction of the public when she made an announcement about her sexual orientation. Many people were shocked about it. In spite of the inability to do it back then, DeGeneres was able to reveal her sexual orientation publicly. Correspondingly, other individuals underwent what DeGeneres went through. It was hard for them to reveal their sexual orientation back then as people were not ready to accept it as they do now. It is not an easy project trying to get information or data on lesbians, gays and transgender individuals due to the stigma associated with the ...