You know , here I was thinking ya ' ll would be in a better frame of mind on Thanksgiving , but that was clearly a pipe dream . Be civil , please . <| sep |> It was so pivotal for me . I firmly believe that Ellen is what won over middle America , because when they think of lbgt rights , they think of friendly , likeable straightforward Ellen . When you win the moms , you win the family . It ' s incredibly brave and strategically such a great move . The LGBT community in general had really been pushing that way for years , and really culminated with Ellen . Make people realize that they are no different from you , as human as you , a part of the community rather than separated from it . It ' s a hard journey to be sure , but it ' s far more accepting and , in the long run , so much more lasting .