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Ellen to marry girlfriend
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres announces marriage plans
"Ellen opened the closet door for shows like Will and Grace, The L Word and Ugly Betty to succeed, and for other out performers to live their lives openly and honestly"
With yesterday’s ruling in California allowing same-sex couples to have a civil marriage, gay couples across the state are preparing to get hitched when the new rules come into effect next month.
The first high profile person to announce her engagement is lesbian icon and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
On the latest episode of her talk show ‘Ellen’, which will air in the US tonight (16th May), DeGeneres will publicly announce her intention to marry long-term girlfriend Portia De Rossi.
Ellen’s announcement, made during the pre-recording of her show yesterday, was met with woops and applause from the audience.
DeGeneres has been a spokesperson for gay rights for a long time. She came out very publicly in Time magazine in 1997, and has strived to bring gay issues to the public’s attention ever since. Most recently, DeGeneres spoke emotionally on her chat show about the murder of gay 15-year-old Larry King.
She is also the only ‘out’ entertainer ever to have hosted the Oscars and is also heavily involved in the organisation Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Its president Neil G. Giuliano said of Ellen, “Ellen coming out ten years ago kicked off a tremendous decade of visibility for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“Ellen opened the closet door for shows like Will and Grace, The L Word and Ugly Betty to succeed, and for other out performers to live their lives openly and honestly.”
Her partner Portia De Rossi is an actress, most notable for her role in the sitcom Ally McBeal. She is currently playing a lesbian character in the hit US drama Nip/Tuck.
