People We Love 2015: Lily Tomlin

We love Lily Tomlin for changing the rules…

Lily Tomlin is one of our greatest humorists, most watchable actresses and admirable community icons, but even we could not have anticipated the year she had. On the heels of being named the first openly lesbian Kennedy Center Honoree came the premiere of Grace and Frankie. The quirky Netflix series, in which she teams with Jane Fonda, defies all expectations of what the mainstream expects from a sitcom. Its title characters are a pair of ladies in their 70s exploring the twin indignities of aging and being left by their respective husbands (who have turned out to be gay and in love with one another). But fans cheered, and the show has already been renewed for a second season. Then, August brought Grandma, Tomlin’s first true leading role in an astonishing 27 years, in which she plays Elle, a lesbian poet coping with the recent death of her long-term life partner. Whoever said that there were no roles in Hollywood for women “of a certain age” clearly forgot to tell Tomlin.

Visit the People We Love page to see our most recent LGBTQ honorees.

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