The lesbian-bi pop culture site AfterEllen.com was founded in 2002, a full five years after Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian. But the site’s name is surely an homage to the courageous comedian, who became a LGBT icon. AfterEllen has not just lasted, but thrived — hanging around long enough to see even the Supreme Court give gay marriage the thumbs up. And long enough to add another influential Ellen to its inspiration list. (AfterEllen says it is the “most comprehensive website dedicated to the representation of lesbian/bi women in popular culture.”)
Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page speaks to the millennial generation the way DeGeneres hit the baby boomers. AfterEllen’s headlines this week had both Ellens in action, with Ellen Page walking the Toronto red carpet for the Freeheld premiere with her girlfriend, the artist Samantha Thomas. And the original out Ellen, Ms. DeGeneres, is also grabbing attention as always — this time for her lip sync battle with Jimmy Fallon. But it could have as easily been for her terrific Howard Stern interview, where she told Stern that Caitlin Jenner had some things very wrong. Want to know who the women of AfterEllen admire? Just check out the AfterEllen Hot 100. It’s not a whole lot different, really, than the lists the lad mags make. AfterEllen starts with Kerry Washington at 100; she’s #65 at Maxim. Meryl Streep makes the AfterEllen list though, which means it automatically wins.
