It was a much lauded segment on The Ellen Degeneres Show which was first aired in the United States on 12 February.
But viewers in Singapore would not have heard US President Barack Obama discuss and congratulate the well-known openly lesbian TV host for her role in helping to change the attitudes of Americans towards LGBT people.
Appearing on a special Valentine’s Day episode, Obama told host Ellen Degeneres, ‘As much as we’ve done with laws and ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” et cetera, changing hearts and minds—I don’t think anybody has been more influential than you on that.’
‘I really mean that,’ he added. ‘You being willing to claim who you were, that suddenly empowers other people. And then suddenly, it’s your brother, it’s your uncle, it’s your best friend, it’s your co-workers. And then attitudes shift. And the law is followed, but it started with folks like you. I’m so proud of you.’
DeGeneres, who came out publicly in 1997 at the same time her character on her ABC sitcom Ellen did, got tearful upon hearing these words from Obama.
The segment was cut entirely from the broadcast on Tuesday, February 23, on Channel 5, an English-language general news and entertainment free-to-air channel owned by Mediacorp, a government-owned broadcaster which owns all seven free-to-air television channels in the island state.
The channel had also cut the first lady Michelle Obama’s recorded Valentine’s Day greeting addressing Ellen and her wife Portia.
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Article was first published on Gay Star News
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