Kate’s heartfelt words about LGBTQI representation will bring a tear to your eye
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS
Although Kate McKinnon is far from in the closet, having been open about being a lesbian throughout her comedy career, her sexuality is rarely talked about within the media or publicly by McKinnon herself.
However, at Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony, Kate McKinnon revealed in an emotional speech that the only thing that made being a lesbian less scary when she was younger was seeing Ellen DeGeneres on TV.
McKinnon presented the Carol Burnett Award to Ellen – a lifetime achievement accolade for her contributions to television. There was clearly no better person to honour her, making the moment profoundly touching and meaningful for the LGBTQI community.
In easily the most vulnerable and candid remarks she’s made about her personal life and sexuality since beginning Saturday Night Live in 2012, McKinnon choked up as she recounted what it was like for her, as a gay teenager, to see Ellen open up about her sexuality.
“I have to explain that one more: In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was in the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror and thinking, “Am I gay?” And I was, and I still am.
“But that’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself. It’s sort of like doing 23andMe, and discovering that you have alien DNA. And the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV.
“She risked her entire life and her entire career in order to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it. Of course, attitudes change, but only because brave people like Ellen jump into the fire to make them change.
“And if I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought, ‘I could never be on TV. They don’t let LGBT people on TV.’ And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe didn’t even have a right to be here. So thank you, Ellen, for giving me a shot. A shot at a good life, and thank you also for the sweater with a picture of the baby goat on it.”
You can watch the emotional clip of the two queer comedy queens in full below. 🌈
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