Ellen DeGeneres said she was once "fired for being gay" and "lost everything" during a monologue in which she blasted new religious liberty legislation passed by the states of Mississippi and North Carolina.
PAST COVERAGE: Gov. Nathan Deal announced he would veto Georgia's religious liberty bill .. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed bans city travel to North Carolina over HB2
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Ellen said she grew up in the South and is personally aggrieved by legislation signed into law, unlike in Georgia where similar legislation was sidelined by Gov. Nathan Deal.
She didn't specify when or from what job she was fired but said she was disappointed in the actions by the two states.
Here is her statement:
What I really want to talk about today is what happened this week in Mississippi. I don't know what Mrs. Sippy is doing, but I'm very worried about Mr. Sippy.
So, if you don't know, the governor of the state signed a religious freedom bill, which might sound good because the word freedom is in it. But here's what it means.
Under the law, if you say for religious reasons you can deny gay people marriage, adoption and foster care services; fire or refuse to employ them; and decline to rent or sell them property.
Now, I'm not a political person, I'm really not. But this is not politics this is human rights. And I mean, when I see something wrong, I have to talk about it. It's the same thing that I do when I see men wearing Spandex in line at Starbucks. It's wrong and I need to discuss it.
So, this issue is very personal to me, obviously. I'm disappointed for several reasons. First of all, Mississippi is the only state I know how to spell. Second of all, that is the definition of discrimination.
It's also something that the Supreme Court already ruled on when they made marriage a right for everyone, everyone. And they're Supreme. I mean, that's the best you can get. Like the Nacho Supreme from Taco Bell.
The Supreme Court said the same thing that Diana Ross and the Supremes said a long time ago: 'Stop! In the Name of Love.' And now, yes, and now Mississippi is saying, 'I Don't Second That Emotion.'
Sometimes I think it's easier to explain things if you break it down. So imagine this. Two cupcakes walk into a flower shop and they want to buy a dozen roses. But the florist doesn't believe in selling flowers to cupcakes because they don't have any money. But gay people do so sell them the damn flowers.
I grew up in the South right next door, in Louisiana. I used to go to Mississippi as a kid all the time. My Aunt Helen lived there. So if you're in Mississippi or North Carolina or anywhere and you're saddened by the fact that people are judging you based on who you love, don't lose hope. I was fired for being gay and I know what it feels like. I lost everything. But look at me now. I could buy that governor's mansion, flip it and make a $7 million dollar profit.
I mean look, there's already so much inequality in the world. Women's rights, gender pay gap, racism. I think we need to remember that we are more similar than we are different. And we all want the same things. Love, acceptance, kindness. And I want one of those new Teslas.
So I advocate for less hate and more love. Less tearing apart and more coming together. Less sitting and more dancing."
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