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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. Submitted by on Fri, 2008-02-29 09:56. |
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dammit....
*sniffle* why'd she have to go and make me cry? :'(
But, i am glad she spoke out on it. besides hatred being an obvious problem, i remember mentioning it also disturbed me that the kid had a gun in the first place. (what next? pre-schoolers bringing guns to school? GEEZ)
another thing...i was watching Tyra (which i usually can not stand) and then i saw ellen and sort of laughed. i only laughed because i thought "well, interesting combination that just happened....i have a strong feeling Mike won't be in the race for long, much less be the president of the United States..." - - No offense to Tyra, but when she goes and says "I LOVE THE GAAYS AND THEY LOVE ME!" i just cringe. i hate that term "the gays" - really hate it. I don't know, but maybe instead of saying that, she could've said in a serious tone "well, i only ask this because i support gay rights, etc" instead of "hehehe, i looove the gays" *everybody laughs like idiots*
the point is....it's not a comedic thing and until tyra and others treat it more seriously...more people will follow. (god, i hope that made sense)
Bravo Ellen!!
I just happened to be watching the Ellen show this morning and her monologue regarding this matter just made me cry. My tears were both sad and happy. I was sad because of this terrible crime, but I was happy because she addressed it with such class and style. It was fantastic. Clear, concise and all in the span of a couple of minutes. Straight and to the point. I loved it when she said "this is personal to me" and then went on to say "Larry was NOT a second class citizen...I AM NOT A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN!" Aw heck, the entire thing was just fantastic. IT IS OKAY TO BE GAY!! I was amazed that, for the most part, Ellen did manage to maintain her composure. The audience reception was nice but I can't help but wonder how many of those people in that audience really meant it.
How on earth did Brandon get his hands on a gun anyway? The parents of this child MUST be held accountable as well. I feel that there are very poor parenting skills in this picture.
The only thing about Ellen's monologue that bothered me just a little bit was that she was addressing the United States, that's how it came accross. Her intentions were great but I wish that she could have mentioned somewhere that this is NOT just a U.S. problem....IT'S A GLOBAL PROBLEM. I am a Canadian citizen and even though same-sex unions are now legal here, we still continue to put up with all of this f**king crap just like anywhere else. Once again, it's a GLOBAL problem.
Finally, I just wanted to mention that someone had better stop that son-of-a-bitch Phelps and all of his cronies before they go and destroy yet another funeral service. Is nothing sacred anymore? My thoughts and prayers are with Lawrence and his family. May you rest in peace Lawrence. :( Peace everybody.
Regards,
dgd417
I feel a great deal of pride
I love Ellen so much.
Well done!
Comments on TMZ.com are an eye-opener
The video of Ellen's monologue about the Lawrence King murder was also posted on TMZ.com yesterday. Yes, I might be a bit masochistic but I slogged through the entire comment section for that video to see what people's reactions would be. I'm aware that TMZ.com's readers are not generally known for their respectful discourse, and while the vast majority did condemn the shooting, I was still disheartened to see so many use the Bible to justify their ignorance, hate and blatant bigotry.
And yet, because of people like Ellen DeGeneres and Anderson Cooper, there IS more widespread dialogue about the murder, despite mainstream media choosing to remain silent on the matter.
I was very disturbed but...
I kept on reading the posts on TMZ regarding the Ellen monologue. I was about to abort quickly but I hung in there. In the end, I was absolutely appalled at what I was reading. Why must straight people continue to use the Bible as a defense mechanism regarding the issue of homosexuality? "Homosexuality is a sin...it says so in the Bible." I'm sooo tired of reading/hearing this. It is a sin to steal and commit adultery etc. as well but people do it all the time. Rules are meant to be broken. I am NOT an atheist, I'm just having trouble understanding the Bible and the Church and the message they are sending. The Bible is such a difficult and mysterious read. Period. It is the GOOD BOOK yes, but in my opinion, IT IS FLAWED. We can all spend an eternity trying to analyze it to death but it just won't get us anywhere. I just don't get it. Do these people SWEAR AND LIVE STRICTLY BY THE BIBLE, EACH AND EVERY HOUR, EACH AND EVERY MINUTE, EACH AND EVERY SECOND OF EACH AND EVERY SINGLE DAY?? We are ALL born sinners and if I was to live my life like this I might as well become a Priest/Monk/Nun or whatever. Many many times, we often hear of even Priests (or whatever) themselves committing acts of homosexuality to children or others in their respective churches. The underlying message I get from this is that even those who commit themselves to the 'cloth' have urges (is that the right word?...sorry) just like everyone else and quite often these urges are present WAY BEFORE they even commit to the 'cloth'.
Perhaps these people felt shame about their homosexuality and tried to cover it up and not deal with it by 'running to the church to hide and feel safe.' A wrong move obviously. Instead, what happens? They're caught and the truth finally 'comes out.' (Pun intended)
Straight people who are totally against this issue just have no idea how difficult it is to be a gay man living in a straight man's world. Instead, they are quick to judge us instead of putting themselves in our position. I am sooo tired of the gay jokes and negative comments and all the put-downs etc. It's like a re-occurring shot to my heart and it's painful. I try to ignore it as much as I can but the reality is that it's in my (our) face all the freakin' time. Enough is enough. Like Ellen said, I AM NOT A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN!! That was sooo needed in this day and age and I'm glad that she said that. Her show reaches a GLOBAL audience and my wish is that for those who were watching, they paid close attention to what she said and possibly reconsider their stance. It's now 2008 and technology has made great strides of course, but unfortunately, the human mind HAS NOT!! Very very sad.
Sorry folks about my rant...I need to calm down now. LOL. By the way, in case you don't know "growing up gay in a straight man's world" is taken by the title of a book that I just ordered from the book store. The full title is "The Velvet Rage: Overcoming The Pain Of Growing Up Gay In A Straight Man's World". The author is Alan Downs. I was intrigued just by the title itself and so, I ordered it. The reviews of this book are very good. I'm can't wait until I start reading it. I enjoy self-help books in general and something tells me that this will be beneficial. One can only hope.
Enough for now, I've said way too much. Peace everybody.
Regards,
dgd417
Yay, Ellen!!!
I can't add more to that, except. . .
. . . Larry was shot by Brandon IN CLASS. . .
. . .and, it is my understanding since the Columbine massacre, ALL California schools were supposed to have beefed up with their security; with many to have detectors installed. . .
. . . so how did Brandon slip through the cracks???
Even if parents who do not approve of gays and lesbians, this should definitely be a concern of theirs, because the system FAILED miserably. . .
Tom
Been there, done that, bought the soundtrack!
re: Yay, Ellen!!!
I can't add more to that, except. . .
. . . Larry was shot by Brandon IN CLASS. . .
. . .and, it is my understanding since the Columbine massacre, ALL California schools were supposed to have beefed up with their security; with many to have detectors installed. . .
. . . so how did Brandon slip through the cracks???
Even if parents who do not approve of gays and lesbians, this should definitely be a concern of theirs, because the system FAILED miserably. . .
I'm not sure why you would have this understanding, as Columbine was in Colorado not California.
The thing people forget is that while they are extremely high profile, school shootings are also extremely rare, statistically.
I would like the bigger concerns would be a) how a middle schooler lays hands on a loaded gun in the first place, and b) what that middle schooler is being taught at home that would make him think that this was the thing to do.
Metal detectors? Not so much. There's no failure of "the system" here because there is no system. For most schools, it just doesn't make sense to commit resources to things like metal detectors, which *might* *possibly* help to prevent a totally random act. Calls for metal detectors in schools are loudest after tragedies like this, when people are desperately reaching for something to make them feel that they can exert some control over such randomness. But that's the funny thing about randomness...
Anyway, kudos to Ellen for speaking out, and for giving Larry a voice.
Sometimes Ellen just know the right thing's to say.
This is a real issue and for someone to do something like that at the age of 13?? I am in disbeleif that this boy could even think of harm... all i want to know is WHY?
The line "You are not a second class citizen, I am not a second class citizen" really struck a cord with me, for so long I felt wrong about my sexuallity, like I should be ashamed, and like Ellen said; it shouldn't be this way, and we shouldn't be the butt at anyone's jokes anymore just because we are not the same way inclined.