Today, she's lovingly known by most as just "Ellen" — but close to two decades ago, when Ellen DeGeneres told the world she was gay, she was met with scorn and her entertainment future was in doubt.
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00:00I'm Ellen, and I'm gay
00:07Why did you think it was necessary for you to come out because it's okay because it is okay
00:30You
00:39She had two little girls that they worried that it would influence them
00:43Mm-hmm, and it was just they didn't want me living in the house with the two little girls, which really hurt
00:53I think it made me realize
00:56how fragile and how
00:59How easily you can lose somebody
01:05My parents were extremely cruel to me. I remember one day. I was coming home from kindergarten
01:09Well, they told me it was kindergarten found out later. I've been working in a factory for two years
01:28And
01:36Now you I just feel like we're being stuffed with this right now down our throne. It's just yeah, I
01:45Never wanted to be an activist
01:47Since I've witnessed the discrimination and the double standards and and heard about the statistics for gay teen suicides
01:55I've had to rethink that and so if by standing up for what I think is right makes me an activist. I'm an activist
02:16For my entire adult life you have been a
02:22True inspiration
02:24I
02:32Am so lucky and so privileged but I that I never actually had to have that moment of I'm gonna come out
02:38I'm gonna say something because I always was able to just be and why because of people like Ellen when Ellen came out
02:47every single gay person in the world
02:50was
02:51Just holding their breath
02:54Wondering what was gonna happen to her if she did it and kept her career together
02:59Then maybe maybe there's a chance that someone like I could do it
03:17Just how much courage was required
03:20For Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago
03:26What an incredible burden that was to bear and yet
03:32Today
03:35Every day in every way
03:37Ellen counters what too often divides us inspires us to be better