Ellen DeGeneres Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Ellen DeGeneres Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Obama awarded Ellen DeGeneres the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 22. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

President Obama reminded himself and the audience about how courageous DeGeneres’ decision to come out of the closet in 1997 had been. “It’s easy to forget now, when we’ve come so far, where now marriage is equal under the law, just how much courage was required for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost twenty years ago,” President Obama said. “Just how important it was.  Not just to the LGBT community, but for all of us.”

During the actual awarding of the medal, a White House aide summarized her career. “In a career spanning three decades, Ellen DeGeneres has lifted our spirits and brought joy to our lives as a stand-up comic, actor and television star,” he said. “At a pivotal moment, her courage and candor helped change the hearts and minds of millions of Americans, accelerating our nation’s constant drive towards equality and acceptance for all. Ellen DeGeneres has showed us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place, so long as we just keep swimming.”

Tags: , , , , ,

TOP 10 BEST & WORST REACTIONS OF SCOTUS

love_is_love_gif_passes_02
Everything’s Coming Up Rainbows: Love Now Legal Nationwide

Friday, June 26th, 2015: a historical mile marker for the United States. Courthouses across the U.S. are now open for business, serving straight AND same-sex marriages. Here are some of our favorite (and least favorite) reactions, stories and tweets:


One:

God @TheTweetOfGod: “If the Founding Fathers were alive today they’d all start marrying each other.”


Two:

Slate.com reports how Fox News reacts – We can only watch and wince, almost feeling bad for them.


THREE:

Yes, finally. A passionate, conservative voice of reason. Thank you, CNN contributor S.E. Cupp.


FOUR:

The GOP Candidates’ Responses
We don’t get it either. The best part about what they think? It doesn’t matter anymore!
P.S. Our “favorite” (as in “least favorite”) here: it’s a draw between Mike Huckabee and Rich Santorum.


FIVE:

The Rainbow-Lit Whitehouse
What a beautiful beacon of hope! The light after the storm and exactly what a rainbow is all about.


SIX:

Tim Cook’s tweet hits the nail on the head — love, as with marriage, is all about perseverance.
“Today marks a victory for equality, perseverance and love.” — Tim Cook


SEVEN:

Ellen DeGeneres. Let’s face it: anything she says is amazing and we love her.
“Love won. #MarriageEquality” — Ellen DeGeneres


EIGHT:

Dan Savage, you count twice for these tear-jerker Tweets.
“1/2. Telling my parents I was gay in 1980 didn’t just mean telling them that I was sexually and romantically attracted to other boys.” — Dan Savage


NINE:

“2/2. I was also telling them that I would never have children and that I would never be married. That was then. This is now.” — Dan Savage


TEN:

Here’s to Vinicius Vacanti for hitting two birds (or should we say four old dinosaurs?) with one stone:

View image on Twitter

Tags: , , , , , , ,