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Ellen DeGeneres
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has a way of making you laugh about something
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rather than at someone.
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Except when I danced on her show,
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she laughed at me.
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But that's ok.
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It's easy to forget now.
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When we've come so far
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for now marriage is equal under the law.
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Just how much courage was required
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for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago.
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Just how important it was.
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Not just to the LGBT community, but for all of us.
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To see somebody so full of kindness and light
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somebody we liked so much,
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somebody who could be our neighbour,
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or our colleague,
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or our sister,
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challenge our own assumptions.
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Remind us we have more in common than we realized.
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Push our country in the direction of justice.
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What an incredible burden that was to bear,
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to risk your career like that. People don't do that very often.
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And then to have the hopes of millions on your shoulders.
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But it's like Ellen says
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we all want the tortilla chip that can support the weigh of guacamole,
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which really makes no sense to me.
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But I though would break the mood
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cause I was getting kind of choked up.
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And she did pay a price.
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We don't remember this.
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I haven't remembered it.
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She did... for a pretty long stretch of time,
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even in Hollywood.
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And yet, today, every day in every way,
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Ellen counters what too often divides us,
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with the countless things that bind us together and inspire us to be better.
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One joke, one dance at a time.
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Ellen DeGeneres
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In a career spanning three decades,
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Ellen DeGeneres has lifted up our spirits and brought joy to our lives
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as a stand-up comic, actor and television star.
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In every role, she reminds us to be kind to one another
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and to treat people as each of us wants to be treated.
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At a pivotal moment, her courage and candor helped change the hearts and minds of millions of Americans,
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accelerating our nation's constant drive toward equality and acceptance for all.
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Again and again, Ellen DeGeneres has shown us that a single individual can make the world
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a more fun, more open, more loving place, so long as we just keep swimming.