I am a little embarrassed to confess that I have walked the very fine line between “fan” and “stalker” in the case of my Dover’s World Hero for April, Ellen DeGeneres. Wait! Now, I’m not saying I’m one of those “Call the Swat Team” or “Tell the judge to get a restraining order” kinda folk. What I’m saying is that, of all the people I would like to meet in my life, Ellen is among the top 3. (The other 2 are Barack Obama and Bill Clinton)

My life as an Olympic equestrian has permitted me to meet and talk to many, many stars from the political and entertainment worlds, including past presidents, and I admit to feeling excited at each chance to see what made these icons “tick” and why they rose to being the best in their fields. And what amazed me most by these people is how “normal” they were and how easy it was to converse with them about even the most mundane subjects.

So while I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Ellen in person, one of the reasons I’ve named her my hero for April is that I, along with countless fans, bring her into our homes each day, and because of her, get to laugh and dance and just plain be entertained for an hour. In these difficult times, just giving people that would be worthy of a medal!

But here’s the thing. Ellen does so much more. She raises awareness as well as millions of dollars for people and animals around the world in need. Almost every day she makes someone’s (or many people’s) life easier and brings hope to folks who are struggling.

I know that some think that having a TV show and the money and celebrity that it brings makes it easy to do all those things for others. We tend to forget that stardom does not exclude one from having all the life problems such as health, family, love and even broken toilets, just like us real people. What makes Ellen a true star is that her fame has never seemed to make her forget her connectedness to what is important in life. Family, love, honesty, joyfulness, laughter and giving back are the traits that Ellen does not only talk about, but actually exhibits through every particle of her being every day.

As an openly gay athlete, much of what I have tried to do with my life has been out of gratitude for all that I have been given. But for many gay people in sports it still isn’t easy, and Ellen has given immeasurable hope to them and me that someday soon there will be no more fear by anyone for anyone else based on sexuality.

I honestly believe that Ellen hopes like I do that in the future there will be no need for marches or pride rallies, for benefits or fundraisers, because everyone will finally be treated equally and with respect. This is truly how the world is meant to be and Ellen has, through her words, acts, and deeds, brought us a huge step closer to that reality.

RD

Posted: Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 10:34 am
Filed under: Everything Else, Out For Good