Queer Activists

In the span of 30 years, Ellen DeGeneres in reinvented herself throughout her whole career as stand up comedian, actress, and a talk show host. But beyond her talent and successes, she is played a powerful role for gay rights and broke many barriers for being who she is. Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most successful openly gay woman in the show business. 

 

Ellen DeGeneres was born in Metaire, Louisiana, on January 26, 1958. She grew up in a happy family with her older brother Vance who was four years older, her father, Elliott, and her mom, Betty. Because her father was an insurance sellsman, the family would have to move around a lot. This caused Ellen to attend 2 different elementary schools, two different junior high schools, and always being the new kid in school, she found humor and comedy to fit in with the other kids in school. When Ellen turned 13, her mother and father had a divorce, and to help cheer up her mother during that time, Ellen would find ways to make her mother laugh. Not only did it help her mother cheer up, but herself as well. That was the start of Ellen finding out that her humor could make other people feel better, which she liked. Three years later after the divorce, Ellen’s mother, Betty, remarried which cause Ellen and her mother to move to Atlanta Texas. 

 

 

Ellen's Early Life

When living in the small town in Atlanta Texas, Ellen attended high school there. During her teen years Ellen dated multiple boys, but wasn’t sure if she wasn’t attracted to men, or just hasn’t found the right man yet. While in high school, Ellen started to realize her feelings towards women were actually stronger, and she started to explore these feelings with a close friend which not too many people knew. After high school, Ellen moved to New Orleans, to attend the Univeristy of New Orleans, but dropped out just after one semester. At this time, Ellen was 19, and at that age she’s finally told her mother that she was gay. Though Betty took this by surprise, Ellen’s mother was very supportive and accepted her as she was. Soon after Ellen, met her love interest, Kat Perkoff. Kat was considered Ellen’s first serious relationship, and with Kat’s support, Ellen decided to focus and work on her humor to maybe be published. Because Ellen was so popular amongst her friends being funny, Ellen was convinced to perform a short comedy segment for students. Where she made an entire act of just eating a whopper which became a huge hit. Kat helped Ellen work on her comedic writing into a comic stand up routine. Things between Ellen and Kat we fine until Ellen caught Kat cheating on her, which damaged their relationship. One night when Ellen and Kat saw each other at a club, Kat asked Ellen when was she planning to come back to her, but Ellen ignored and pretended not to hear her. Tragically shortly after, Kat died in a car accident which Ellen drove past and didn’t realize it was Kat until the next morning. Ellen greatly grieved and mourned for her first love and inspired Ellen to write a comedic monolog about a phone call to god. Ellen knew her phone call to god monolog was special, and she made a goal to perform that monolog on the Johhny Carson show.