206 How AfterEllen.com Became a Safe Haven for the Early LGBTQ+ Online Community

When Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet publicly on her hit TV show in 1997, it rocked the media. Her popular sitcom received parental warnings and ratings declined until it was cancelled the following year. Many wondered if Ellen, who was at the peak of her comedy game, would ever work again. We all know how that story played out. But for the LGBTQ+ community at the time, Ellen's "I'm gay" moment was monumental, and open the floodgates for representation in mainstream media. Meanwhile, as the World Wide Web was taking shape, many in the gay and lesbian community began to find each other online. AfterEllen.com became a hugely important Web forum and review site for people coming to terms with their sexuality in a media landscape that was still hostile to them.

Alli and Lindsey speak with Sarah Warn, the founder of After Ellen, about how the LGBTQ+ community found a voice online before the days of Google and modern social media.

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