Raising DeGeneres
Ellen's mother shares their story
Caitlin Graveson
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: News
DeGeneres then briefly discussed Ellen's "coming out show" and the ensuing aftermath, including the pulling out of sponsors and the cancellation of the show. She also described how she began to be active following an invitation by the Human Rights Campaign to be the first non-gay speaker for their National Coming Out Campaign. Following a series of lectures and presentations, activism became an integral part of her life.
She discussed the negative images surrounding homosexuals and said the focus for them is on "sexual" in comparison to the focus on "hetero" for heterosexuals. DeGeneres also touched on the struggles that come from the illegality of same-sex civil marriage. DeGeneres spoke for about 25 minutes and then answered questions for the next 25 minutes.
Although the Soda Center was not full, the majority of the crowd was made up of Saint Mary's students, mostly women. Sophomore Maggie Schwab "enjoyed the questions because [DeGeneres] was honest and willing to answer questions that anyone threw at her."
The support DeGeneres showed for Ellen was important to Murphy. "I think it would be beneficial if parents would listen to her because the things she has to say are crucial to parents of kids who are coming out," she said.
She discussed the negative images surrounding homosexuals and said the focus for them is on "sexual" in comparison to the focus on "hetero" for heterosexuals. DeGeneres also touched on the struggles that come from the illegality of same-sex civil marriage. DeGeneres spoke for about 25 minutes and then answered questions for the next 25 minutes.
Although the Soda Center was not full, the majority of the crowd was made up of Saint Mary's students, mostly women. Sophomore Maggie Schwab "enjoyed the questions because [DeGeneres] was honest and willing to answer questions that anyone threw at her."
The support DeGeneres showed for Ellen was important to Murphy. "I think it would be beneficial if parents would listen to her because the things she has to say are crucial to parents of kids who are coming out," she said.