Ellen's opening monologue a plea for change in the wake of the Lawrence King murder

Ellen is opening today's show with a monologue about changing this country's attitudes in the wake of the tragic murder of 15-year-old Lawrence King. Ellen begins by explaining that Lawrence's killer shot him because days earlier his gay classmate had given him a valentine, which led the young man to murder him.

Ellen's discussing the topic on a personal level is incredibly moving and very powerful. As she puts it:

 "Larry was not a second-class citizen. I am not a second-class citizen. It is okay if you're gay."

Ellen goes further to say that we need to put an end to gay punchlines in monologues and in movies, and that mean-spirited jokes lead to hateful behavior and violence. Seeing someone speak with this degree of passion and intelligence and empathy about this issue on national television and receive such overwhelming support from her audience is incredibly inspiring. Ellen continues to be one of the strongest and most uncompromised voices out there for lesbians and gays, and moments like this are why.

Check out the video here, or tune into her show today.