Pew Center Reveals Most Obvious Finding Ever: Ellen DeGeneres is (Still) Most Recognizable Gay American

A new survey from the Pew Research Center reveals what most of us already knew anecdotally. 

"More than anyone else, Ellen DeGeneres is the face of LGBT America. Still," reports Drew Desilver at Pew's blog. 

The report, from which the Center has been releasing new snippets weekly, found that DeGeneres was the most frequently named example of a gay or lesbian public figure when the general population was asked to identify such a person. Recently out NBA center Jason Collins was the second-most frequently cited gay or lesbian public figure. 

Similarly, 32% of general population respondents listed DeGeneres when asked to name an out gay or lesbian entertainment or public figure. But what's really shocking is that almost 40% of the general population respondents couldn't name a single gay or lesbian public figure. A staggering 61% of those respondents age 65 and older said they couldn't name an out entertainer or public figure. 

Among LGBT respondents, the out talk show host nearly tied with President Obama for an example of a well-known figure who's been important in advancing the rights of LGBT people. Obama pulled in 23% of the responses on that question, whereas DeGeneres garnered 18%.  

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