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Ellen DeGeneres opens up about sexual assault as a teenager

The comedian says her abuser was her mother’s then-husband

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(Screenshot via YouTube)

Ellen DeGeneres opened up about being sexually assaulted as a teenager on David Letterman’s Netflix talk show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.”

DeGeneres, 61, first went public with the incident in an interview with Allure in 2005. Speaking to Letterman, DeGeneres says she suffered abuse from her mother Betty’s then-husband. The comedian described how the abuse began after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“He told me when she was out of town that he’d felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn’t want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine,” DeGeneres says. “He convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts, and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time.”

DeGeneres continued on that at one point she escaped out of a window to get away from the abuse.

“He tries to break my door down, and I kicked the window out and ran ’cause I knew it was going to go more to something,” DeGeneres says. “I didn’t want to tell my mother because I was protecting her and I knew that that would ruin her happiness — and she was happy with him even though he was a horrible man.”

DeGeneres explains that she kept the abuse a secret from her mother but eventually when she did open up her mother didn’t believe her.

“I should never have protected [my mother]. I should have protected myself and I didn’t tell her for a few years, and then I told her,” DeGeneres says. “And then she didn’t believe me, and then she stayed with him for 18 more years and finally left him because he’d changed the story so many times.”

She hopes that speaking up about her assault can give strength to other victims.

“When I see people speaking out, especially now, it angers me when victims aren’t believed because we just don’t make stuff up,” DeGeneres says.

DeGeneres’ episode streams on Netflix on Friday, May 31.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Goodwin Living Pride Parade

Senior living and healthcare organization holds fifth annual march at Falls Church campus

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Goodwin Living Pride March 2025. (Photo courtesy of Goodwin Living)

The senior living and healthcare organization Goodwin Living held its fifth annual Pride Parade around its Bailey’s Crossroads campus in Falls Church, Va. with residents, friends and supporters on Thursday, June 12.

(Photos courtesy of Goodwin Living)

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Books

More books for Pride month

Another batch of not-to-miss reads for June

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’re going to be on your feet a lot this month.

Marching in parades, dancing in the streets, standing up for people in your community. But you’re also likely to have some time to rest and reflect – and with these great new books, to read.

First, dip into a biography with “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline (Tiny Rep Books, $30), a nice look at an icon who, rumor has it, threw the brick that started a revolution. It’s a lively tale about Marsha P. Johnson, her life, her activism before Stonewall and afterward. Reading this interesting and highly researched history is a great way to spend some time during Pride month.

For the reader who can’t live without music, try “The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman” by Niko Stratis (University of Texas Press, $27.95), the story of being trans, searching for your place in the world, and finding it in a certain comfortable genre of music. Also look for “The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship” by Bronson Lemer (University of Wisconsin Press, $19.95), a collection of essays that make up a memoir of this and that, of being queer, basic training, teaching overseas, influential books, and life.

If you still have room for one more memoir, try “Walk Like a Girl” by Prabal Gurung (Viking, $32.00). It’s the story of one queer boy’s childhood in India and Nepal, and the intolerance he experienced as a child, which caused him to dream of New York and the life he imagined there. As you can imagine, dreams and reality collided but nonetheless, Gurung stayed, persevered, and eventually became an award-winning fashion designer, highly sought by fashion icons and lovers of haute couture. This is an inspiring tale that you shouldn’t miss.

No Pride celebration is complete without a history book or two.

In “Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day” by Alex L. Combs & Andrew Eakett ($24.99, Candlewick Press), you’ll see that being trans is something that’s as old as humanity. One nice part about this book: it’s in graphic novel form, so it’s lighter to read but still informative. Lastly, try “So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color” by Caro De Robertis (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. $32.00) a collection of thoughts, observations, and truths from over a dozen people who share their stories. As an “oral history,” you’ll be glad to know that each page is full of mini-segments you can dip into anywhere, read from cover to cover, double-back and read again. It’s that kind of book.

And if these six books aren’t enough, if they don’t quite fit what you crave now, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help. There are literally tens of thousands of books that are perfect for Pride month and beyond. They’ll be able to determine what you’re looking for, and they’ll put it directly in your hands. So stand up. March. And then sit and read.

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Out & About

Baltimore Orioles Pride Night set for June 25

First 15,000 fans to receive jersey

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(Washington Blade file photo by Kevin Majoros)

Baltimore Orioles Pride Night will be held on Wednesday, June 25 at 6:35 p.m. at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. 

Festivities include immersive Pride decorations, pregame music, crafts, face painting, Pride merchandise, and more. The first 15,000 fans will receive an Orioles Pride jersey. Tickets are available on the Orioles’ website

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