President Obama has awarded 21 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These are all well-known people considered to have done some good for society.
Names include Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, and Michael Jordan. But Obama saved his best speech for Ellen DeGeneres.
Ellen came out as gay almost 20 years ago, when doing so was still risky. This was especially true for celebrities, who risked being discriminated against, and losing fans.
Obama’s heartfelt tribute to DeGeneres is especially important given the timing of it all. Because President Trump isn’t likely to push for the kinds of social change we’ve seen during Obama’s time in office.
