Ellen Degeneres at the Human Rights Campaign

I am sure that you have all heard of Ellen Degeneres and know that she is an "out" lesbian in television. However, I am not so sure that you have seen her acceptance speech at the Human Rights Campaign. This speech was both inspirational and hilarious. In 1997, 18 years after coming out on national television, Ellen was invited to this National campaign to speak and accept an award for human rights activism. This speech balanced ethical, Emotional, and logical appeal. In order to enhance her credibility, Ellen said "we place a lot of importance on celebrity." This combined with her later comments about how her coming out story affects more than just the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender (LGBT) community clearly sets an ethical appeal. Her emotional appeal was made throughout the speech in the form of relating to the audience and admitting that coming out was not easy for her and she lived in shame for a long time. She strengthens this by using appropriate humor and being herself (by making the audience laugh). Her arrangement included a clear beginning, middle, and end. She began the speech by stating, "I am not the first person to come out." This was equaling the field and breaking boundaries with the audience. She then focuses on stories and personal accounts. She finishes the speech by once again focusing on her credibility by reiterating that she is in fact a lesbian. Stylistically, Ellen was conversational during the speech utilizing humor and not focusing on her note cards. Her delivery was important to the outcome of her speech. Her delivery was both eloquent and lad back by utilizing humor throughout, yet getting her point across. The humor used throughout her speech was what made this speech memorable. Finally, the implications of this speech is very important. This speech can give members of the LGBT community hope that they can overcome discrimination just like she did. Also, she is giving her "celebrity" and personal support for this minority group that undergoes so much discrimination. I hope that you can listen to this speech and be just as inspired as I was. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTtVSe3Hl8A