Ellen DeGeneres' very public coming out was one of the defining moments of 1997. The actress simultaneously came out in a Time magazine interview and had her character on the sitcom "Ellen" come out, too. "I never wanted to be the lesbian actress. I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever," she told Time. When she decided to come out, she said "I did it for my own truth." [Time] Image via Getty
