You kiddos have no idea how groundbreaking this was. Like there’s a reason THE lesbian website for a billion years was called After Ellen. She changed everything.
oh man you know that feeling that’s like kind of an ache right between your heart and your stomach? like nostalgic knowing of pain? that’s how the scared look in Ellen’s eyes makes me feel.
Look at her hand too and how nervous she is. Every gay and lesbian person knows this feeling, because we know there are assumptions and consequences and there’s no telling how someone will react.
And let no one forget that she suffered consequences for this. It wasn’t just a moment of cathartic unburdening and then business as usual.
Right, she lost her first TV show. She worked hard to get up to where she is today.
Ellen lost her TV show and didn’t get offered another job for the next 3 years. All while facing harsh critic from most of the world. Not to mention that Oprah, who immediately said yes to playing her therapist in this episode, got her own fair share of disrespectful and mostly racist comments. All over this one episode on a sitcom. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that over 40 million people watched this episode to see the first openly gay character on television.
This is history and it better fucking be in the history books for next generations.
I feel like it should also be noted that even with all the homophobia and backlash ellen received, she was still a positive person. she wasn’t hateful or vicious towards the haters and vicious people who blacklisted her. she still remained the carefree super nice person she always is. i mean that could never be me because im a petty bitch but i respect her for that.



