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The Queen of Pop for generations, Madonna, dropped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to speak out against bullying. Acknowledging that many people had already spoken out about the rash of LGBT teen suicides in relation to bullying, Madonna said she felt she would be ‘remiss’ for not saying something as she said she owes her career to the gay community.
Madonna told Ellen she is ‘disturbed and saddened by the overwhelming number of teen suicides that have been reported lately because of bullying.”
A mom of two, Madonna also told Ellen that she speaks to her teen daughter Lourdes about the subject, as she believes that addressing the ‘zeitgeist of bullying’ starts in the home.
Ellen and her audience applauded the music diva when Madonna said, “I need to say something. The gay community has been incredibly supportive of me. I wouldn’t have a career if it weren’t for the gay community.”
When Ellen asked Madonna if she was bullied in school and if she ever felt ‘different,’ Madonna laughed and said “I still feel different.’ On a more serious note, she said she always felt isolated and alienated in school, as she did not fit into any of the high school cliques.
“I never felt like I fit in … I just felt like a weirdo,” Madonna told Ellen. She added that it wasn’t until her gay ballet teacher took her under his wing and introduced her to a community of artists that she found a community.
Watch the poignant video here.
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Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
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