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"Yep, I'm gay."

That 1997 Time magazine cover headline featuring comedian Ellen DeGeneres created a national firestorm that eventually led to the cancellation of DeGeneres' sitcom, "Ellen."

Flash forward 11 years. Last month, a People magazine cover featured DeGeneres and her pretty-in-pink bride, Portia De Rossi, with the headline "Ellen and Portia's Wedding!" The eight-page photo spread was the stuff fairy tales are made of.

What a difference a decade makes.

I guess some observers would say the fact that Ellen's wedding didn't cause the sky to tumble is a real indication of how far the country has come in regards to acceptance of lebian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Maybe.

I think a more significant barometer of change was a minor news item that appeared a few weeks after Ellen's wedding. Procter & Gamble, the parent company of CoverGirl, announced that DeGeneres would be the new "face" of the cosmetic company.

Stop the presses! An openly gay 50-year-old woman is now the cover girl for CoverGirl? Now, that's news.

"Ellen is an authentic beauty who appeals to consumers who are looking not so much for a role model as a woman they can relate to both physically and emotionally," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, a vice president for Procter & Gamble.

I think that means that Ellen is attractive but not in a supermodel way that makes you feel bad about yourself.

I must confess that my own memories of CoverGirl are from high school, and the mere smell of it conjures up pimples and teen angst for me.

But I suspect the real reason Ellen was chosen as the CoverGirl spokeswoman is because of the enormous popularity of her talk show. She even beat out Oprah Almighty for the title of "Most Popular Person on Television" in a recent Harris poll.

Ellen's sexual orientation is no longer a story - it has become an accepted part of who she is, just like her crazy- fun dancing and her groovy tennis shoes. Ellen is celebrated now on the basis of her considerable talent and success. Imagine that.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see another successful and talented over-50 lesbian celebrated: Suze Orman, the personal finance guru. Orman received the National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT lobbying group and political-action committee in the United States.

Orman has been on television more in the past month than the Jonas Brothers. As Wall Street was burning, Orman was the expert everyone wanted to hear. Larry King, Brian Williams, Wolf Blitzer and, yes, even Oprah - they all wanted to get Orman's take on the crisis.

And here's the thing: Nobody cared that Suze Orman is a lesbian. They cared that she is the most recognized expert on personal finance in America. In fact, I bet most people don't even know that Orman is gay. Her sexuality was never really mentioned until the New York Times magazine ran a profile on her in 2006 and referenced her partner, Kathy Travis.

The article caused a bit of a ripple in the media, and Orman was amused when people asked her about being "outed" by the Times. She laughs when she says, "I didn't know I could be outed - I was always out."

She recalled a story from the early 1980s when she was a rising star at Merrill Lynch and was invited to a social event by one of her managing partners. Her boss told her to bring her spouse to which she replied, "I'm a lesbian, and I hope that won't be a problem." It wasn't a problem, and the folks at Merrill Lynch started using the term "significant other."

Orman's message is about financial empowerment and has nothing to do with sexual orientation. She ends each episode of her show with her mantra, "People first, then money, then things."

I find it very gratifying that Ellen DeGeneres and Suze Orman are being recognized for who they are and not what they are.

People first - take that to the bank.

Addison Ore is the executive director of the Triad Health Project and a local freelance writer whose monthly column, A Broad View, occasionally focuses on issues facing the Triad's LGBT community. Contact her at vaore@aol.com.

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