First out lesbian to host prime-time news show

This shouldn't be an issue, positive or negative...

Above all else Rachel Maddow is a patriot.

I will be voting this story down.

So...

Rachel Maddow is the best person to happen to cable news in a long time.

Who gives a rats ass? I dont care if she likes to be tied up and spanked by a woman in a schoolgirls outfit, that's personal(and hot to think about) but still personal and we should leave it at that.

Voted down because she got the job due to her skills not her sexuality.

why does someones sexual prefrence have to be such an issue .your gay i dont approve.idont know your gay no problem everything is ok

She is right looks matter.

No one wants to look at someone that isn't appealing on TV. No one.

wow, i mean how come he gets his own tv show? i want one too.

This is awesome. Obviously she is qualified for the job...i'll have to tune in to see what she's all about.

Personally, I find this cause for a small celebration for the equal treatment of gays/lesbians. She clearly got to where she is based on her ability. In doing so, she has overcome many cultural hurdles.

Lordy. Realize when we actually take a step forward and celebrate it.

I completely and utterly agree with Neocongo. Of course it should not matter that she is gay, but it does as gays and lesbians are still underrepresented on mainstream television. Because of that, it is amazing that she got the job and I cannot wait to hear more about it.

I voted this down as well.

The point of the gay rights movement is to NORMALIZE gay people, it shouldn't even be mentioned that she's gay unless it's relevant, and it's not really. Not that she has to be quiet about it, not at all. But I honestly don't think her being a lesbian was really a hurdle to getting her own show.

I mean, good for her, she's a decent commentator sometimes, but this kind of sends the wrong message in a way.

For $400 this word's definition is:

2: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner;

I'm not very pro-gay. but i like her. she's a good girl.

I guess Dan Abrams wasn't blatently in the tank for Obama enough for MSNBC.

I am glad that she is proud of her sexual orientation and getting the job but how does that make her more qualified?

She's really good. I like her on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. She has really good commentaries. Who cares if she's a lesbian. If she's talented enough to have her own radio show and t.v show so be it. Congrats to Rachel!

One word... Ellen!
This show will not last against Ellen.

I don't care about what she does in her private time, I care that she brings in another progressive voice into the mainstream.

Good for her, and us as a species.

I've only seen her occasionally sitting in for Keith Olberman, and at least it's somewhat fitting that she's gay, because I've always thought she does look quite a bit like a man.

I'm not sure if that makes sense, but she seems quite intellectually capable, so I doubt anyone really cares about her personal life in the first place. I don't.

It's actually easier to listen to her in a way because her looks aren't so distracting like Megan Kelly on Fox.

I'm sorry, you kids may not like Fox, but Megan Kelly is hot and she's got enough of a brain to be a lawyer and a seemingly impressive enough debater, which puts her light years ahead of the "Girls Next Door".

Damnit...I'm off point.

Which I guess kind of makes my point, that looks can be distracting when discussing serious stuff.

I only get upset when the good looking chicks turn out to be gay.

Shouldn't her journalistic skills matter more than her appearance or sexual orientation?

That being said, she may not look like Barbie, but I think she's pretty cute. Why would people criticize her looks?

Rachel is the shiznit!! I am hella glad she finally got her own show on msnbc. If she didn't have a girlfriend I would consider a sex change.

They could pick something better than this story for publicity.

The same people arguing this is not a story are the same people who probably insist that racism and sexism are no longer an issue.

Ignoring her sexuality is impossible, look how bad Katie Couric was received on evening news just for being a woman (remember Connie Chung). I would like to say that her sexuality had nothing to do with her getting hired and be confident that that is true, however I can also say it was probably one reason they may have considered passing on her being at the newsdesk.

Face it people, some of us (including me) may hate that sexuality and race is an issue for people having to validate their success even more because of the implication they received the job as a "token" member of the staff. However, it is hard to refute that when you see that even in this day and age, the sea of white faces on the news is still shockingly the majority, even when I grew up considering the United States the "Melting Pot" of the world.

I hate that her sexuality is brought up with her success, but even now, gays, blacks, hispanics, etc have to prove they are just as able as their white predecessors, and also that their presence is not a liability to the company or place of employment they are representing.

So in a sense it is important for the gay community to show that they can represent a point of view or image to the American people that not only belongs because they are entitled to the same rights as everyone, but also that they can perform the job as well and can at the very least be respected for that.

i fucking love this girl! she is so badass and totally deserves her own show. i'll watch her every night ! : )