I mean what is wrong that why why do I have to be so ashamed I mean why can't I just say the truth I mean be who I am I'm 35 years old I'm so afraid to tell people I mean I just

Susan I'm gay.

In recent years

In recent years the LGBTQ community has fought hard for more representation.

Slowly but surely, characters from that community are getting more screen time in shows,

and while it's not as if the struggle is over, it's important to recognize just how far we've come.

Just over two decades ago, this simply wasn't done.

There may have been a handful of gay characters on TV, but they weren't serious leads, and these

portrayals could be stereotypical and harmful, like how all gay men are depicted as

feminine, flamboyant, and promiscuous, for example. Coming out was such a massive controversy that when Ellen

Degenerous and her character Ellen Morgan did so, she faced backlash for it. The

90s ABC sitcom Ellen faced religious groups calling for their boycott,

J.C. Penny and Chrysler pulling ads from the show's time slot,

and Ellen claims that she became the butt of everyone's jokes.

But those of you that are a part of the LGBTQ plus community know just how important

this moment was and how crucial it is to have stories like this told.

Acceptance and changing people's mind doesn't come all at once.

Ellen literally made history in the fight for gay rights.

An op-ed in the New York Times shortly after she came out said,

despite what has been said about Sweeps Week and a corporate publicity spin for a show that was in a ratings plummet, the program did what every acknowledged and closeted gay and lesbian American needed.

It affirmed us, acknowledged the strains that being gay can cause and described the feelings of relief we feel upon coming out to family and friends.

Thank you, Ellen, you have opened the doors for millions of Americans.

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