Happy 40th birthday to Rachel Maddow, the one person who makes talk show hosting seem like an awesome, important extension of the Fourth Estate. We can toast her for her fabulous commentaries and consummate sense of class, but let's take a moment to remember she has been totally out of the closet since the minute we'd first heard of her, and she's remained stalwart and smart about LGBT issues ever since. Seriously, is there a greater LGBT bad-ass in pop culture today? She's both cool and sincere while being brilliant enough to intimidate Oscar Wilde. A bona fide treasure, and I bet she can quote The Importance of Being Earnest too.
Let's take a look at a few clips that remind us how committed we are to this woman.
In this clip from a 2009 appearance on The View, she describes herself as "a lesbian who looks like a man" and delves into the quaint story of how she met her girlfriend.
Her love of bartending is sweet. Frankly, Rachel Maddow is one of the few people who can make a statement like "Don't be a wuss about the shaking" seem empowering.
I love Rachel Maddow's interviewing skills. She does this critical thing called "letting her guests talk" -- even when she has salient points to say in return! Here she is with Jon Stewart.
Did I mention she's brilliant?
What are your favorite Maddow moments?
