Gays and Lesbians

Gays and lesbians

Throughout television history it is hard to point out if there have ever been any lead gay characters. There was once a sitcom where the lead character was implied to be gay, in Tony Randall's "Love, Sidney" in 1981; he was a life long bachelor that had no visible interest in women (Rubin). Other than that gay characters have only been in supporting roles until Ellen DeGeneres came along. Ellen DeGeneres is valued by many gays and lesbians because she made history by coming out of the closet through her lead character role in the TV show "Ellen", and as a result made it a step easier for gays and lesbians to live their lives knowing that they may be accepted in society even if they are gay.

Ellen took a big risk, not knowing what others would think, by her coming out through her television sitcom "Ellen". The risk that Ellen took could've been her last, because it is learned in our society that gays and lesbians are inferior compared to the accustomed heterosexuals. They are seen as sinners of God because the Bible says that a relationship should only be between a man and a woman. Surprisingly, many people were contently amazed by her decision. "DeGeneres said she was overwhelmed by the number of people who had responded positively to her--and her character's--decision. 'I can't tell you the amount of support I have received, the people coming up to me- mostly straight- saying, "What you're doing is great!" DeGeneres said" ("Coming" Tuller). Since Ellen got such positive feedback after coming out, she knew that it was becoming more acceptable for gays and lesbians to be who they truly are.

When society saw that there was going to be a lead lesbian role on TV, it opened their minds to new views. People never knew that lesbians could be just like normal heterosexuals too. As stated in the San Francisco Chronicle, "The prospect of a lead lesbian character in a prime-time show thrilled many lesbians and gays. They said it would provide a positive role model for gays themselves and would educate straight people who might not know any homosexuals" ("Ellen's" Tuller). With Ellen exposing her true identity as a lesbian, many viewers turned off the stereotypical views of lesbians as being husky and macho and realized that they really are just like normal people. Society then started accepting the fact little by little that gays and lesbians are human beings too.

By Ellen revealing her true sexual orientation, she made it easier for many gays and lesbians to be comfortable with themselves. There have been horrible things done to gays and lesbians like killings, which makes it hard for them to "come out of the closet". In many cases people have "come out of the closet" and were looked down upon by their friends and family that it leads them to an awful solution, suicide. As GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) spokeswoman Sally Kohn said, "This ["Ellen"] provides a role model for other people to go through the process. If Ellen can come out and life goes on, then other people can, too" (Makinen). Kohn has been encouraging gays to follow Ellen's lead of coming out. If gays and lesbian do come out, it will give them a sense of comfort to be able to live the real life that they have learned what is normal in their eyes.

The show "Ellen" itself has given such an acceptable perception to how people will react once they've revealed that they are gay. As said in the Washington Post, "For gays who have struggled with revealing their sexual orientation to family members and friends, the show provided a touchstone and, in some cases, an opportunity to reach out to family" (Makinen). The hardest part is always telling friends and family because they are the people who are most important, and by not coming out there's a big secret that's being held from them, which should never be the case. Family and friends are the people that should be able to share and hear all of a person's experiences, no matter if they are different from the norm. Ellen shows that life should be easy once it is out in the open and that people are willing to also accept you even as a gay or a lesbian. She also shows that once the true identity is out there, there is less stress in the mind of the gay or lesbian to worry about.

Many gays and lesbians respected Ellen's choice of coming out on her show. Gay and lesbian organizations such as The Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD even mailed "party kits" to people hosting parties for Ellen's show in their homes. The party kits contained invitations, and a trivia game to